What happened to Gamestop?

MilesMorales1

*inb4 someone says 'Gamestop are so overpriced' yes we get it, thats not what I'm talking about*


What happened to retail games shops? Every Gamestop I've been into recently (in Ireland) has made it so its about 30% games and 70% useless tat forbidden planet usually sells, and at ridiculous mark ups. I get endless emails from them about game of thrones figurines or plushes or DVD's or some bollocks. Is this a thing now? Whats the point of a dedicated games retailer if its not even making selling games its priority now.

Not even mentioning the fact you can get games off the internet earlier/and cheaper than the decimated retailers now.

gibson-les-rick

Big losses in revenue I imagine. That and the digital market.

Mr E

I'd say digital downloads are really hurting them. They did better when broadband was awful (or more awful than it is now) in this country.

The last boxed game I bought was Starfox Zero (and only because it was a collectors edition). I can't remember the last disk game I bought before then. Digital is just so convenient (and usually a lot cheaper).

Falthyron

MilesMorales1 wrote: »

*inb4 someone says 'Gamestop are so overpriced' yes we get it, thats not what I'm talking about*


What happened to retail games shops? Every Gamestop I've been into recently (in Ireland) has made it so its about 30% games and 70% useless tat forbidden planet usually sells, and at ridiculous mark ups. I get endless emails from them about game of thrones figurines or plushes or DVD's or some bollocks. Is this a thing now? Whats the point of a dedicated games retailer if its not even making selling games its priority now.

Not even mentioning the fact you can get games off the internet earlier/and cheaper than the decimated retailers now.

Diversification of products on sale is the last resort for surviving before going the way of the Dodo. I saw this with Xtra-vision and other similar retail franchises. I haven't been in a GameStop in a few months, but when they start selling sweets, cards, and other irrelevant garbage they will have less than a year left in the life expectancy.

Penn

They should do what Xtra-Vision did; start selling greeting cards and "so old and outdated they're practically retro" phones and mp3 players, and make sure to move each section around the shop every few weeks to p*ss off the few customers you actually do get. Then when someone pays for something, tell them you won't give it to them unless they buy something else.

maximoose

I went into the Henry street store a couple of weeks ago, probably for the first time in nearly 2 years.

Whole top floor has been refitted and it does look pretty well - general geek/pop culture/gaming collectibles - some cool stuff but still suffers the same problem they do with the games, 90% of it is available online considerably cheaper.

Can't see it making a difference for them.

BrokenArrows

Ya the last physical disk i bought was Half Life 2 which actually forced me to install Steam and download an upgrade to play it due to some graphics comparibility problem. Since then everything has been via Steam or Origin.

Ive no idea how they lasted this long. Physical Game, Music and Dvd's only purposes these days is so that you can hand someone a physical present. If you are buying something for yourself i imagine everyone downloads it.

MilesMorales1

BrokenArrows wrote: »

Ya the last physical disk i bought was Half Life 2 which actually forced me to install Steam and download an upgrade to play it due to some graphics comparibility problem. Since then everything has been via Steam or Origin.

Ive no idea how they lasted this long. Physical Game, Music and Dvd's only purposes these days is so that you can hand someone a physical present. If you are buying something for yourself i imagine everyone downloads it.

Not true. Lots of people still buy physical. I know I do.

IvoryTower

I would only buy a digital game if it was cheap, really cheap. My friends are the same.The trade in value is too good, bought division for 60e, traded it in a few weeks later for 40e having got all the use I wanted from it. No use having a digital download in that case.

I imagine cex are doing some damage.

Digital Solitude

As far as I've been able to gather most Ninty offerings are bought in physical form. Mainly because the eShop is crap.

Then you have all the parents, aunties, uncles and godparents buying gifts for young ones, 99% aren't going to gift them a game on Steam or depend on Amazon in most cases. Gifting something second hand without good reason is not sound, leaving Gamestop to clean up there. The rip off prices probably give them enough of a buffer to carry on without many sales.

Andy Magic

I think it's because there is very little profit in selling new games. When you see them in big retail stores at a lower price they are usually selling it at a loss in the hope you will buy something else also.

Calhoun

As much as there is an argument to say there is no profit in games they is also the blatant gouging that went on as soon as hmv left the market.

It's just way to expensive unless it's something I really want, much easier and more convenient to buy online.

VulcanRaving

Didn't cop onto this until I saw a big red '+' added to a Gamestop and saw the inside of the store is half games and half figurine/skater dude apparel.
Digital downloads is definitely a big factor as mentioned, although personally I avoid them unless they're an absolute bargain in an attempt to keep my hard drive free (even though I replaced my PS4's 500GB HDD with a 2TB one, best decision I made)
I can't recall the last time I bought a game from a retailer as Amazon normally works out plenty cheaper despite the sterling exhange rate.

recyclops

digital downloads and game share loop holes could be killing it, i know for myself and my friends (all on xbox one) we are ow more inclined to buy games at release as we are getting them half price anyways. then when the sales come about we are getting 2/3 games at the price of one game in game stop.

Wonda-Boy

Maybe if they stopped adding at least a tenner onto the games they might fair better the sooner they go under the better.....hate the place. Smyths are much much more competitive on everything.

People are deffo seeing through Gamestop....ripping off mothers of kids and small kids themselves that know no better.

Andy Magic

Wonda-Boy wrote: »

Maybe if they stopped adding at least a tenner onto the games they might fair better the sooner they go under the better.....hate the place. Smyths are much much more competitive on everything.

People are deffo seeing through Gamestop....ripping off mothers of kids and small kids themselves that know no better.

Surely that tenner is what pays for the store rent and staff they hire to sell the games. Online don't have these extra costs. I've seen this with the music industry and if stores go it's not good for anyone who has an interest in gaming.

It seems to be the popular opinion to slate Gamestop on here. No one has an issue with Smyths selling merchandise other than games but as soon as Gamestop do it's an issue.

maximoose

Andy Magic wrote: »

Surely that tenner is what pays for the store rent and staff they hire to sell the games. Online don't have these extra costs.

Uncharted 4 is €18 dearer in Gamestop than it is in Argos, €10 dearer than Smyths. It's not just a B&M vs Online thing.

Sieghardt

Digital downloads arent killing gamestop, digital downloads have made very little inroads into gamestops business

What's absolutely destroying them is online retailers like Amazon offering better prices while other retailers offer better specialisation like videogamesplus and play asia

Straight Edge Punk

Andy Magic wrote: »

Surely that tenner is what pays for the store rent and staff they hire to sell the games. Online don't have these extra costs. I've seen this with the music industry and if stores go it's not good for anyone who has an interest in gaming.

It seems to be the popular opinion to slate Gamestop on here. No one has an issue with Smyths selling merchandise other than games but as soon as Gamestop do it's an issue.

Smyths is a shop for kids therefore sell everything for kids.

Gamestop, at one point was a GAME shop. The one in the Crescent in Limerick is now 80% tat and a small section of games. It is sad to see because I worked there when it was Gamesworld and it was a good place to work.

Generic Dreadhead

I don't mind waiting 2 or 3 days and using Amazon.

That way I get it at usually the cheapest new price AND can resell it.

Win win

mahoganygas

I am no longer a console gamer.
But I like to stroll into Gamestop every now and again. It's nostalgia really.

I spent so many hours of my teenage years in Game shops. I have really fond memories of reading the back of games to get info on them (pre-internet). I would find a game i really wanted then save up for a few weeks. The excitement of getting the bus down to Game to finally get a new game.

Strolling through Gamestop excites the kid in me. Although I ignore the merch/tat that seems to have taken over half of the shop.

Can't remember the last time I actually bought something in Gamestop.

Riesen_Meal

maximoose wrote: »

Uncharted 4 is €18 dearer in Gamestop than it is in Argos, €10 dearer than Smyths. It's not just a B&M vs Online thing.

Perfect example, I went to buy Uncharted in Tesco of all places a few weeks ago, was 70 euro, went into GameStop, 75 euro - pulled out my phone, checked Argos and reserved it there and then for 62 quid, I couldn't stomach giving GameStop that 13 quid, my missus works beside Argos so she got it next day...

MilesMorales1

Symths is a toy shop, they can sell whatever falls under the definition of a toy. Gamestop is supposed to be a dedicated games retailer, but now a majority of their floor space is just taken up by general 'nerd' stuff.

Andy Magic

maximoose wrote: »

Uncharted 4 is €18 dearer in Gamestop than it is in Argos, €10 dearer than Smyths. It's not just a B&M vs Online thing.

And there just so happens to be an offer in Argos for this specific game you picked at the moment. We could nit pick at offers all day. For example Xbox one (500gb) is 329 euro in Gamestop and in Argos it's 350 euro even though they have a special deal on in Argos!

Also I recently just bought a new 500gb in Gamestop for 300 euro as they had it on special.

Calhoun

Andy Magic wrote: »

Surely that tenner is what pays for the store rent and staff they hire to sell the games. Online don't have these extra costs. I've seen this with the music industry and if stores go it's not good for anyone who has an interest in gaming.

It seems to be the popular opinion to slate Gamestop on here. No one has an issue with Smyths selling merchandise other than games but as soon as Gamestop do it's an issue.

Funny how that tenner got tact on once no real competitor was in the market.

I have also seen some unscrupulous behavior regarding up selling to both parents and people with learning difficulties.

TitianGerm

Andy Magic wrote: »

Surely that tenner is what pays for the store rent and staff they hire to sell the games. Online don't have these extra costs. I've seen this with the music industry and if stores go it's not good for anyone who has an interest in gaming.

It seems to be the popular opinion to slate Gamestop on here. No one has an issue with Smyths selling merchandise other than games but as soon as Gamestop do it's an issue.

GameStop price their games €15-€20 above the likes of Smyths and Argos in most cases. Both those stores have rent and staff to pay as well.

Dark Souls 3 is €63 in Argos and €75 in GameStop.

Metal Gear Solid V is €25 in Argos and €40 in GameStop.

The Xbox One Elite Controller is €150 in Argos and €160 in GameStop.

Uncharted 4 is €57 in Argos and €75 in GameStop.

Another thing is GameStop trying to force thier Disk Protection on you, and it's always to people who don't really understand what they are been offered.

Smyths was also first and foremost a toy store who branched into Gaming. GameStop started as a dedicated Gaming store.

mayordenis

I have to disagree with the general sentiment in this thread, they're making a smart move.

General nerd culture (for want of a better term) is on the rise, comic book movies are the new cool, funko pops have replaced beanie babies, video games are of course a massive revenue but replacing the lost markup on the sales of digital games with the sales of tshirts and mugs for gamers favourite IPs is shrewd. Keeping in mind that ****ty merch will have a higher markup than a new release game.

If you live outside of Dublin the comic book industry is non-represented, I wouldn't be shocked to see them go even further into that area.

TitianGerm

Andy Magic wrote: »

For example Xbox one (500gb) is 329 euro in Gamestop and in Argos it's 350 euro even though they have a special deal on in Argos!

Also I recently just bought a new 500gb in Gamestop for 300 euro as they had it on special.

You were robbed then. You could have got the 1TB with the Division for €329 in Argos (€350 in GameStop). Or the 1TB Forza 6 Edition for the same price. Or the 500GB with Fifa for €329(not great value that one)

Also the Xbox One with no game which you refer to is more expensive than all the bundle offers in Argos.

maximoose

Andy Magic wrote: »

And there just so happens to be an offer in Argos for this specific game you picked at the moment.

It's a recently released best selling game, the best type to compare IMO.

If you don't think that's fair, here's the top selling PS4 games according to amazon right now

Game| Argos |Smyths| Gamestop
Uncharted 4| 56.99| 64.99| 74.99
Overwatch| - |64.99 |74.99
Doom| - |64.99| 74.99
Return to Arkham |- |49.99| 54.99
Ratchet and Clank| 39.99| 39.99| 44.99
No Mans Sky| - |64.99 |84.99
Nathan Drake Collection| 56.99 |56.99| 74.99
Star Wars Battlefront| 34.99| 34.99 |39.99
GTA 5| 45.99 |64.99| 74.99
Fallout 4| 39.99 |69.99| 74.99

They are consistently dearer than their biggest competitors.

Andy Magic

emmetkenny wrote: »

You were robbed then. You could have got the 1TB with the Division for €329 in Argos (€350 in GameStop). Or the 1TB Forza 6 Edition for the same price. Or the 500GB with Fifa for €329(not great value that one)

When I bought mine there was no deals for 329 with a game in Argos.

mayordenis

I really don't enjoy standing up for GS but a the end of the day (bar trade-in jiggery-pokery) I'd rather a console for 300 than a console with a piece of **** game for 330.

That said I'm not sure there's any argument. It's clear as day that they are for the majority of games more expensive that their competitors, that goes back to when HMV, Zavvi and Game were all major players. Even with that level of competition they were nearly always the most expensive.

Andy Magic

maximoose wrote: »

It's a recently released best selling game, the best type to compare IMO.

If you don't think that's fair, here's the top selling PS4 games according to amazon right now

Game| Argos |Smyths| Gamestop
Uncharted 4| 56.99| 64.99| 74.99
Overwatch| - |64.99 |74.99
Doom| - |64.99| 74.99
Return to Arkham |- |49.99| 54.99
Ratchet and Clank| 39.99| 39.99| 44.99
No Mans Sky| - |64.99 |84.99
Nathan Drake Collection| 56.99 |56.99| 74.99
Star Wars Battlefront| 34.99| 34.99 |39.99
GTA 5| 45.99 |64.99| 74.99
Fallout 4| 39.99 |69.99| 74.99

They are consistently dearer than their biggest competitors.

Which goes back to my first point:

Andy Magic wrote: »

I think it's because there is very little profit in selling new games. When you see them in big retail stores at a lower price they are usually selling it at a loss in the hope you will buy something else also.

TitianGerm

Andy Magic wrote: »

When I bought mine there was no deals for 329 with a game in Argos.

When did you buy yours? That 1TB version has been at €329 on numerous occasions in Argos since the 8th of March.

The 500GB with no games was as low as €269 in March and April and if remember correctly in the Special Offers tab you could add one/two games to it as well.

The Fifa 500GB bundle was as low as €269 in in April.

I'd say 90% of the guys on the Xbox Forum recommend people to buy a console from Argos because they tend to have the best offers. Argos are also great to deal with for returns whereas GameStop are a nightmare and try to get you to contact the manufacturer.

CiDeRmAn

I was speaking to a GS insider and they are on the ropes right now.
Shops are near empty, they are closing unprofitable stores to stave off collapse.
Their pricing is nuts.
The devotion of so much floor space tells you a lot about what makes a profit there, and new games take up even less room than that.
No one is compelled to buy there but a lot of folk who know no better shop there anyway.
And that's all, as far as I can see.
Online has killed bricks and mortar retail, Smyth's offer better deals than GS but there isn't enough of them so that everyone can avail.

rogercross

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I was speaking to a GS insider and they are on the ropes right now.
Shops are near empty, they are closing unprofitable stores to stave off collapse.
Their pricing is nuts.
The devotion of so much floor space tells you a lot about what makes a profit there, and new games take up even less room than that.
No one is compelled to buy there but a lot of folk who know no better shop there anyway.
And that's all, as far as I can see.
Online has killed bricks and mortar retail, Smyth's offer better deals than GS but there isn't enough of them so that everyone can avail.

I'm not surprised they're struggling, in a lot of cases their pre-owned price is still higher than getting it new in a different shop or online.

I still buy physical as i don't like the idea of spending €50-€60 on something which i then cant trade in but this place is just too expensive.

Mr Bloat

The problem with Gamestop is greed, pure and simple. A few years ago, we had a choice of Game, Smyths, Gamestop, HMV, Xtra-Vision and few others. Prices were more reasonable, Gamestop always had a reputation for being the more expensive but it wasn't OTT. Then, one by one their competitors closed down and each time one did, Gamestop raised their prices a little bit more.

I love the idea of having a B&M game shop nearby. I don't want everything to go online only, I don't want a future where Amazon and a few other online giants rule all sales. I would (and do) happily pay a little more than what it would cost online to buy a game in a local shop. So, I buy my games in Argos and Smyths. I'm happy to pay a little more to support local enterprise but I refuse to be gouged and Gamestop gouge so I don't go there.

If their business costs are higher than Argos or Smyths because of having many small shops on the main street of towns, cities and shopping centres, then they should move to cheaper premise, reduce costs and reduce what they charge for games. Gamers don't need a shop with a "high street presence", bright lights and garish displays. Give me a small, dedicated shop on a side street with friendly staff with whom you can have a decent chat about games as you browse their reasonably priced games and I'll give you all my custom.

RedXIV

I still use gamestop for new hardware, I've preordered my PSVR in my local one. I completely disagree with their pricing strategy for new games but do tend to find the odd gem in there for second hand games.

Maximus Alexander

I have literally never bought anything in Gamestop. Even back when I used to buy physical disks, GAME, HMV, Argos or Smyths were always cheaper. I never understood how they managed to stay in business. It's even more surprising that they outlived GAME and HMV.

Mc Love

Everytime I pass either the William St or Crescent Shopping Center shop, they are empty. Cant see them lasting that long tbh

B.A._Baracus

I miss the good old days of GAME.
You could walk in and they would have a nice selection of games.

dunworth1

Mc Love wrote: »

Everytime I pass either the William St or Crescent Shopping Center shop, they are empty. Cant see them lasting that long tbh

William st is doing well with the figurines apparently.

staff are also friendly and knowledgeable mostly due to them being ex game staff


parkway and cresent on the other hand staff fare useless

mcgooch

One of the reasons Gamestop charge more than other B&M stores for new games is simply because they want to push their (dwindling) customer base towards their used games section where the mark-ups they make are significantly higher. I've seen used games for sale in Gamestop at the same or at even higher prices than the equivalent brand new game in other B&M retailers. Obviously newly released games are not in the used sections around release, but it's not long before they start to appear (usually a few weeks) and they start ripping traders/customers off.

In short, Gamestop are trying to maximise profits by pushing used games over new. They are not interested in competing with other B&M retailers or digital on new games. It's the used games market where they're trying make their money.

callaway92

Andy Magic wrote: »

I think it's because there is very little profit in selling new games. When you see them in big retail stores at a lower price they are usually selling it at a loss in the hope you will buy something else also.

Why can't anybody else clue into what the above guy is saying here?

Argos etc. aren't focused on just selling the new games, they want repeat, regular customers for a variance of products.

Gamestop are trying to sell a game (at a tiny markup as it is) and that's about it. Hence the extra disk insurance thing too.

Argos are making a loss on brand new games, break-even at best. In almost all of the packages they sell they are making a loss.

People keep bypassing it stating how greedy Gamestop are. What the fúck would you do in their situation so? Unless you have first-hand knowledge of their buying/selling strategies you don't know.

I'm not affiliated with Gamestop in any way by the way but I do know other retailers (golf in particular) who have to deal with similar issues.

callaway92

mcgooch wrote: »

One of the reasons Gamestop charge more than other B&M stores for new games is simply because they want to push their (dwindling) customer base towards their used games section where the mark-ups they make are significantly higher..

Will you get real please. What you are saying here is that they actually don't want people to purchase the brand new games. Do you actually understand what you just wrote!!!!

Calhoun

callaway92 wrote: »

Why can't anybody else clue into what the above guy is saying here?

Argos etc. aren't focused on just selling the new games, they want repeat, regular customers for a variance of products.

Gamestop are trying to sell a game (at a tiny markup as it is) and that's about it. Hence the extra disk insurance thing too.

Argos are making a loss on brand new games, break-even at best. In almost all of the packages they sell they are making a loss.

People keep bypassing it stating how greedy Gamestop are. What the fúck would you do in their situation so? Unless you have first-hand knowledge of their buying/selling strategies you don't know.

I'm not affiliated with Gamestop in any way by the way but I do know other retailers (golf in particular) who have to deal with similar issues.

If your not affiliated with them you most definitely are a fanboi.

We are talking about a global company not some mom and pop b&m, that is why most people will have ignored this out of hand straight away.

The clout that gamestop has is absolutely huge its one of the main reason that allot of the digital sales are so high so they don't overly complete with the big game sellers which make up a big chunk of their sales (but that is swinging).

In addition to this we as gamers have seen how the average price of games from gamestop has risen by about 10-15 euro since hmv left the market. Thats not even taking into account the markup on second hand games for the proce they buy them at, i remember a time when prices for 2nd hand games would keep you coming back.

What are we supposed to do thank them for raising their prices when we have the ability to purchase from multiple sources for much cheaper.

callaway92

Calhoun wrote: »

If your not affiliated with them you most definitely are a fanboi.

We are talking about a global company not some mom and pop b&m, that is why most people will have ignored this out of hand straight away.

The clout that gamestop has is absolutely huge its one of the main reason that allot of the digital sales are so high so they don't overly complete with the big game sellers which make up a big chunk of their sales (but that is swinging).

In addition to this we as gamers have seen how the average price of games from gamestop has risen by about 10-15 euro since hmv left the market. Thats not even taking into account the markup on second hand games for the proce they buy them at, i remember a time when prices for 2nd hand games would keep you coming back.

What are we supposed to do thank them for raising their prices when we have the ability to purchase from multiple sources for much cheaper.

"Fanboi"????? What f'ing age are you?

For what it's worth I haven't bought anything from Gamestop in about 10 years, so stuff your stupid 'fanboi' shít and grow up.

Seriously, you are all talking like you are experts here but nobody is saying what to do.

Saying to reduce the prices - People would still find any possible way to complain about them. I genuinely don't give two shíts about Gamestop but some of the clueless people here thinking reducing prices would be the saving grace need to understand they don't have any clue whatsoever.

Calhoun

callaway92 wrote: »

Will you get real please. What you are saying here is that they actually don't want people to purchase the brand new games. Do you actually understand what you just wrote!!!!

You obviously arent acquainted with their 2nd hand selling policy, the difference between the price they buy and sell at is quite large, its very profitable for them.

They do of course need to have new sales to fuel the 2nd hand section but they do push it allot.

Hollister11

I'm not a gamer anymore, but my brothers are, and I have got them to go elsewhere when buying games, as €70 euro for a game is a joke.

I hope they close down, as this corporation is robbing people.

eeguy

They're not only competing with other games and toy shops, they also have the likes of Tesco selling AAA games at launch much cheaper.

I think GTA 5 was 45 or 50 quid in tesco on launch day, compared to 60 or 65 everywhere else.

Lidl, yes LIDL, are selling Uncharted 4 as a special buy, at 60 quid. Gamestop are charging 75.

Won't be long before they're gone.

callaway92

Calhoun wrote: »

You obviously arent acquainted with their 2nd hand selling policy, the difference between the price they buy and sell at is quite large, its very profitable for them.

They do of course need to have new sales to fuel the 2nd hand section but they do push it allot.

EXACT same as other (non gaming) businesses I've dealt with in the past. Nothing strange about this.

The poster basically said that they don't want people to buy new games.

Calhoun

callaway92 wrote: »

"Fanboi"????? What f'ing age are you?

For what it's worth I haven't bought anything from Gamestop in about 10 years, so stuff your stupid 'fanboi' shít and grow up.

Seriously, you are all talking like you are experts here but nobody is saying what to do.

Saying to reduce the prices - People would still find any possible way to complain about them. I genuinely don't give two shíts about Gamestop but some of the clueless people here thinking reducing prices would be the saving grace need to understand they don't have any clue whatsoever.

Dont take offense but when you come on posting in that tone dont be surprised to get some push back.

Funnily enough we are gamers and we know the price of the items we buy and what we are willing to pay. Not just that but we have other avenues to go and buy games bypassing gamestop to make sure we get stuff for a fair price.

Finally i dont need to be an expert to know about supply, demand and price elasticity. So when folk are talking about why they think gamestop is going down hill funnily enough price will come up.