mattysemo247

I might actually swing by Gamestop tomorrow. I played that Killing Floor 2 trial and really liked it. It looks like the physical copy is exclusive to their store and it's on sale this week for $20.

fujishig

That's what I'm saying. If it's retail 101 for GameStop to discount new games to get people in store, when that's the main product (new or used) they peddle, thats news to me.

adrenaline78

The way they stay in business is to get people to buy from them. That's the simple part. Now how they go about creating traffic in their stores probably isn't simple. If they don't figure it out, they're going to fail.

Rob V

One observation I have with GS is that it's a cluster-fuck inside. I never feel "comfortable" buying there... almost claustrophobic at times. I just want to get in and get out.

mattysemo247

This was the easiest trip ever. They guy was on the phone on hold the whole time I was there. I did the store pickup so it was ready when I got there. I was in and out in less then two minutes. They didn't even get a chance to try and sell me anything

Edison

150 stores doesn't seem like very many.

I guess there are areas where they still have 2 stores in the same mall. We still have a two stores a mile apart (one was an EB Games the other a GameStop, before the merger).

I don't buy new games there anymore, because of Best Buy's GCU 20% off benefit. I still get some hardware, or digital codes that I don't get a discount on at BB.

boogieman03

I have the same feeling.

The Questyen

Yeah there is way too many of them so I don't see it being that big of a deal. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it before but I have over 20 Gamestops within 30 minutes of me. I pass 4 just on my 20 minute drive home from work. Last year or two when I was working on my Wii collection and I would hit up stores when the B2G1 free sales were going on I would have 30 or so stores I would rotate through.

foxdvd

Modern brick and mortar business 101 for companies that have been in the game a while.

Build your business over the years by monopolizing locations around the USA.

Squeeze out or buy up all competition.

Charge the highest price for games, because you can.

Don't give a damn about anything other than keeping your monopoly with locations and game publishers.

Online sales begin to grow, taking away a large group of your audience. Instead of competing hunker down and maintain your massive margins.

Watch digital sales pull away even more of your business.

Instead of trying to seriously compete with amazon, best buy and ebay...and giving customers a reason to buy physical over digital, close your slower stores and start the domino effect that will end in your business going away in 5 to 10 years.

Blame all your problems on digital sales, and ignore the fact that if you got out ahead of places like amazon, ebay and now Best Buy (who is seeing growth) you could have been a player for a long time.

redbill

that story sounds familiar . . .

Kedrix

Absolutely freaking agree. I'm always ready to get out the minute I walk in there. My wife knows I'm a gamer, but she's always amazed by how little time I spend in there and either I come out with something (almost always an exclusive of some sort) or come out with nothing at all. Where as, a Games Plus, Movie Exchange (which also sells games) or some mom & pop video game store, I can spend a good half an hour to an hour just looking at things whether I buy it or not.

I don't want to see these 150 stores go away from Gamestop on a I still buy physical so its important from that sense...but maybe if these stores go away then 25-50 mom & pops will emerge or expand. That's my hope anyway.

Rob V

I feel like I've stepped into some creepy 30 year-old's bedroom - in this parent's basement.

slop101

fujishig

I'm still a little confused how they're supposed to get ahead of Amazon and Best Buy, stores with super low margins and/or have growth mainly in the non game sections. their massive margins are on used games, and even then they get frequently taken advantage of with trade ins by the slick deals/CAG crowd and get loaded up with useless titles.

Unless there are massive margins on new titles at MSRP that I'm unaware of or something.

jjcool

Just breaking balls, but are there any other options?

Kedrix

I guess there could be "everything" where I buy out the store because I have mad stacks of cash and want to go crazy. But I don't, and I'd like to stay married as long as humanly possible

mattysemo247

I hope no one has shopped online at Gamestop last fall

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/04/...ssible-breach/

Decker

"It may look like somebody used your credit card, but we still consider it new and unused"

slop101

Shitty company does shitty thing...

GameStop Will Be Open On Thanksgiving This Year, To Employees' Dismay

Not sure which is worse, a store that would stay open on Thanksgiving, or someone what would be shopping on Thanksgiving.

pinata242

Thanksgiving is meaningless to me. The food sucks, the kids are always with their mother (because I hate it), and I don't care about NFL.

That said, I'm still not going to go video game shopping, but I would like a nice burrito and some beer out of the house.

mattysemo247

With all the rest of the stores open that day now I can't say I'm too surprised. Sucks for all the employees though.

fumanstan

It's lame that stores have pushed back Black Friday in to Thanksgiving night, it's more lame that Gamestop talked about how great they were before only to reverse course.

That said, i've gone out shopping late Thanksgiving night. After eating, nothing else to do so I guess i'm part of the problem

TheMovieman

Red Hood

Bullshit. People still buy physical copies of games. Gamestop is suffering because their arrogant senior management thought that people would continue to trade games for peanuts and buy used ones for ridiculously high prices when you can trade them for much more and buy them new cheaper at Amazon and Best Buy. Add to that that the traditional malls (where Gamestops are located) are dying across the US.

fumanstan

I think digital certainly plays a huge part though (plus GCU and Prime discounts).