Can Gamestop Avoid the Fate of Its Predecessors?

There are a few reasons people tend to be wary of Gamestop, here are some: the way they absorbed other video game retail chains that people used to really like (especially Babbages and Funcoland), and turned them into generic corporate-owned stores; shrinkwrapping opened games and selling them as new; always pushing pre-orders to "ensure your copy" even for mediocre games, even though software titles almost never sell out anymore. Also, back in the late 90s--early 2000s many Gamestop stores used to have a strong physical smell, and people joked about their employees not showering. That seems to have improved as of late. And yes, the laughably low trade-in value they offer to kids for their wares, when eBay/Amazon/craigslist will almost always fetch 50-70% of the original price.

Despite all that, I still like to go to my local Gamestop every once in a while to mingle with the gaming geeks, and I think it's hilarious when people camp out for stuff before big releases.
 
"Strong physical smell", you say, in a gaming store?! Nonsense, I say!! Next you will be trying to tell me that you will find a lot of drunk people at your local barroom - Ridiculous generalizations!
;)

And yeah, the whole "camping out" thing is quite laughable, heh, considering that we are living in the digital age where sources like Ebay and beyond are available at our fingertips.

"I spent hours (days?) waiting outside a crappy chain store so I could get my hands on MegaRobotSuperWars part 7 several HOURS before anyone else - I am now validated as a human being! Wheeeee!!" :rolleyes:
 
lol Oh, good ole crunchyg. You brought them together to like the same thing with one fell swoop of Gamestop criticism. Well. done.
 
I like to support local stores like " The Exchange " I would rather give them my business ONLY if they are cheaper or running some kind of deal. The Game Stop in our Mall has pretty great workers.

They greet me when I walk through the door by name as I have been shopping there for years. They always are quick to ask if I need any help finding anything. ( which I just usually ask so I do not have to search, lazy I know lol. ) They also remind me of upcoming pre-releases. Not only that Quint always reminds me of my Power Up rewards points. :)

If Game Stop happens to be more expensive which is the case sometimes I will most certainly go to the local store. I've never heard any stories but I am sure it is just like everywhere else you work..total B.S. most of the time. I'm sure some people can relate. :) lol.
 
Quint Eh? We must go to the same one, I remember him. He's quite nice indeed. Helpful as well, and will chat your ear off!

But to avoid the fate, they need to start going more digital. Staying Hardcopy will eventually phase you out of the business. Sure, consoles and accessories can still sell but more and more these days people order/download online if not for consoles (and to PC). They need to embrace a wide variety of mediums, and actually listen to their customers.
 
I go where it's the cheapest. If I can get the game for half the price from ebay I'll do it. I know people that just rent it online for a monthly subscription and then make a back up copy. That's comparable to what netflix did to blockbuster. It's easier and cheaper to just rent it and burn it.
 
I like to think there will always be physical media to sell in this world, if not I'm sure Gamestop will somehow manage to sell digital content.

Personally I feel games will become too big to download one day and Gamestop could sell install disks or usb.
 
I think GameStop has around 5-10 years ahead before it's business is totally cannibalized by digital downloads. Part of the reason they established their retro game division is to "future proof" their business. After all, older consoles require physical media to play games and retro gamers prefer physical copies over digital downloads anyway. However, the retro gaming boom will probably taper off eventually and mainstream console gaming will be digital only. This will be the day of reckoning for GameStop.
 
I think they can avoid it, but I'm not sure if they will. They'll definitely have to downsize a bit. Take into consideration all the things they already sell:
- Game consoles (new and used)
- Game console accessories
- New games (both physical and digital)
- Used games (a huge portion of their profits, and what will be gone if the future is all digital)
- Toys and other video game collectibles
- Xbox/PlayStation/Nintendo gift cards
- Retro games/consoles
- Phones/electronics

Now the problem is that most of these can found at other retailers like Best Buy, or Target. However, they also have a much larger selection of these things. I'm not saying this would save them, but maybe if they emphasized the other stuff they sell such as the collectibles, and be more like comic book shops are.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Latest threads

Back
Top