Gamestop scrounging pennies, literally

witnessmenow

Daemos wrote: »

I got the protection when I bought LA Noire because they said it was crashing some PS3s, so I got it to be safe.

Extended warranty, how can I lose!

The game was crashing ps3s so you bought protection against the disc getting scratched!? I'm sorry man but as long as people are still falling for it they are going to keep offering it to you!

Its pressure selling, places like burger king do it too:

"Would you like Large or super-size?"
"I'll just have a large" (I fell for this one the last time I was in )

Kersmash

Retr0gamer wrote: »

You don't need to like games to work in a games retailer.

I'm well aware, but surely you should have some kind of basic knowledge or interest in the games that you're selling? Which is lacking in this store.

johnny_ultimate

Thoie wrote: »

"Would you like disc protection?"
"No thanks, I'm not an idiot"

FYP.



Xtravision used to do this penny thing once. First time I didn't care. Second time soon after I thought it was a bit weird, but still didn't really care. If it is a company wide policy though, then it is a frickin' joke.

CoalBucket

If they are not goin to supply the penny change cause they dont have them why not change the price of the games to say 39.98 or 40.00 or the nearest equivalent

Retr0gamer

Well they've no 2 cent coins either since I got 3 games off them today meaning I was owed 3 cent :rolleyes:

dreamers75

CoalBucket wrote: »

If they are not goin to supply the penny change cause they dont have them why not change the price of the games to say 39.98 or 40.00 or the nearest equivalent

7 is the new 9 (serious)

Sticky_Fingers

Daemos wrote: »

Not just me then. +1 on the staff trying to push you to get disc protection and get pre-orders. I got the protection when I bought LA Noire because they said it was crashing some PS3s, so I got it to be safe. As if I needed it :rolleyes:

Same worker behind the counter recognised me a few weeks later, buying some CDs. Started talking about LA Noire for a bit before the conversation shifted:

"Have you heard about the new Call of Duty game?"
"Yeah but I won't be getting it, don't like FPSs"
"Oh, so you won't be buying Battlefield 3 either?"
"Nope"
"How about FIFA?"
"No but I'll be getting Uncharted 3"
"Would you like to pre-order it now? It's only €3"

That was a month ago and I haven't been back since. I've used GameStop since they opened, but if they're going to try to push sales on to their customers then I won't be using them much longer.

I hate that about game shops in general, jesus lads I'm just browsing, I'll buy something if I want.

All that irritating shilling for the man ain't going to make me ever want a copy of Ironman 2, I don't care how many copies you have clogging up the backroom.

Here's an interesting video on some of the business practices of Gamestop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQfyEdmUQ9s

Potential-Monke

CoalBucket wrote: »

If they are not goin to supply the penny change cause they dont have them why not change the price of the games to say 39.98 or 40.00 or the nearest equivalent

They don't charge the nearest Euro (ie: €40) because seeing €39.99 triggers some reaction in the human brain to fool you into thinking you're getting a far better deal and not just saving 1c. Seriously, it's something like that.

As for what dreamers75 said, yes, 7 is the new 9...

Some shops are now putting items down to the nearest 5c, saves them having to get bucket loads of 1's and 2's!

Anyway, i pay by Debit card now, but i do remember being told that there are no 1's before. And i don't get offered Game Protection anymore, i've bought too many games from them and they know not to ask anymore.

RedXIV

Just being the devils advocate, and we all know its annoying but I know quite a few gamestop staff from an old job and most of them hate the fact they have to rattle off the "would you like X, Y or Z" but they get a roasting over it if they don't. I saw a manager actually pull staff into the stock room for lectures if they weren't asking it.

I know its a pain in the tits but for most of the staff there, they are just as embarrassed as you are.

megaten

RedXIV wrote: »

Just being the devils advocate, and we all know its annoying but I know quite a few gamestop staff from an old job and most of them hate the fact they have to rattle off the "would you like X, Y or Z" but they get a roasting over it if they don't. I saw a manager actually pull staff into the stock room for lectures if they weren't asking it.

I know its a pain in the tits but for most of the staff there, they are just as embarrassed as you are.

This why I don't give out about it. I though it was common knowledge that regular employees get penalized for not doing the speals. I heard they're held responsible for cancelled preorders too.

jill_valentine

Spot on. They have to follow the script. They don't like it, but they can get fairly severe official headofficey sanctions for deviating from it at all. They can also get the head eaten off them if they don't approach every customer through the door - they don't mind if you don't need their help, but they need to be able to tell their manager that yes, everyone in the shop has been greeted already.

Regarding the pennies thing, I work in a shop and I've had customers literally throw the damn things back in my face. It's not an official policy or anything, it's just more bother than it's worth to keep them to hand.

Nobody pays for anything in pennies, so they don't get replenished, and most people don't care about the odd penny to justify the hassle of keeping them stocked or doing a bank run. So we'd have a bag in each register at the start of the day and if it's a busy day, they'll run out towards evening.

Retr0gamer

Yeah I'm not going to give out about the employees there, it's more the companies policies fault. The employees are evaluated on how many preorders they can get, disk insurance, pre owned sales etc. so either they don't pester you or they lose their job.

Daemos

witnessmenow wrote: »

The game was crashing ps3s so you bought protection against the disc getting scratched!? I'm sorry man but as long as people are still falling for it they are going to keep offering it to you!

I know, wasn't thinking at the time. I assure you I won't fall for it again

Potential-Monke wrote: »

They don't charge the nearest Euro (ie: €40) because seeing €39.99 triggers some reaction in the human brain to fool you into thinking you're getting a far better deal and not just saving 1c. Seriously, it's something like that.

I heard it's also something to do with recording transactions, that if they're rounded to the euro staff can more easily cancel it and pocket the cash. Putting it down a cent makes it harder, apparently

Wetai

Daemos wrote: »

I heard it's also something to do with recording transactions, that if they're rounded to the euro staff can more easily cancel it and pocket the cash. Putting it down a cent makes it harder, apparently

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7522426.stm

Zillah

Dermo wrote: »

Ok guys here are 2 previous threads that explain the law better than I can about the retailer not having to give change:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056050563&page=4
&
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056036617

Thanks to seamus for putting me on the right track for these.

OP, I agree it's a ****ty thing for Gamestop to do but they are well within their rights to do it. The only way to complain is to complain with your feet and buy it elsewhere.

No, I'm sorry, this is still nonsense.

If you buy something for 25 quid then both sides have agreed to those terms, they must insist on exactly 25 euro or provide change. The idea that they are legally allowed to keep whatever you hand them is nonsense. The law of contract is really quite simple, I have no idea how ridiculous urban myths like this get started.

In the case of Gamestop not giving you a penny, you are well within your rights to insist on getting the penny or nullifying the entire transaction, as they have effectively tried to raise the price after an agreement was made. They'd likely just give you a 2c if you kick up a fuss, they certainly aren't going to risk the entire sale.

Overheal

witnessmenow wrote: »

Do you not think Gamestop, who are a major retailer in US lets not forget, does a few 100 million transactions a year? 1c off every one could easly grow to the millons of €/$ if every shop was doing it

Doubt it would have gone unnoticed. The US has its own share of consumer watchdog groups, like the consumerist. It would have been noticed.

Either way, pay by card, and they get charged a bank fee. Cash is free for them to process, Debit costs a little, Credit costs more. American Express? No retailer is ever pleased to accept these!

Can't blame the employees. They don't fill the tills. And they have to ask you for disc protection and whatever else.

jill_valentine

Overheal wrote: »

Doubt it would have gone unnoticed. The US has its own share of consumer watchdog groups, like the consumerist. It would have been noticed.

Again the one cent thing is not a head office policy and they're unlikely to be aware of it going on. There's an expected variance allowed for, in every till every day, and a few cents in on top of that won't make a huge difference.

In Ireland for instance, 22 of those transactions will disappear if so much as a single person is let off for a bag tax or something.

The scripted questions though are an unfortunate and humiliating obligation for the employee imposed by the higher ups.

Overheal

jill_valentine wrote: »

The scripted questions though are an unfortunate and humiliating obligation for the employee imposed by the higher ups.

Actually scripting the phrasing: yes. I have to offer plenty of things as part of my job, but I'm given a lot of leeway in how I approach it.

jill_valentine

There is a certain amount of flexibility in the phrasing, but to be honest, it's faster and as easy to just rattle off the script and get it over with so you can get back to actually selling the person what they want and asking them useful questions.

I used to have to do it in my old job. It was effective for one-off customers who would only be in on a blue moon, but if you had somebody in every few days, and knew what they needed, it was silly and offputting. My manager - and the weekly mystery shoppers - made no such distinction.

Them's the breaks though. I mean a job's a job, and there are plenty worse than that, eh?

NTMK

You could also pay for the game with 1 cent coins and restock them with 1 cent coins. something i do to places that piss me off :pac:

this may lead to you getting barred

jill_valentine

Doesn't bother me, so long as you have your pennies counted out while you queue - rather than waiting until you get to the till before you suddenly remember how capitalism works and only then going into a sudden panicked searchy-pockety frenzy.

*Not accusing any of you folks of that, but man, that's one thing that makes me tear my hair out. And people really love doing it at Christmas.

johnny_ultimate

I always find the Gamestop crew in Dublin a pleasant bunch once the script has been read, but being honest most of the guys who work in my local one put me off buying anything in there

valleyoftheunos

I actually laughed out loud at the last guy in HMV who offered me disk insurance, I've had to give the script myself in the past but its a total scam. Extend the guarantee on my hardware for a quid and I'd be interested.

Laisurg

I think i recall this happening to me as well, wonder how much they get from that yearly :eek:

johnny_ultimate

valleyoftheunos wrote: »

I actually laughed out loud at the last guy in HMV who offered me disk insurance, I've had to give the script myself in the past but its a total scam. Extend the guarantee on my hardware for a quid and I'd be interested.

The worst thing about disc insurance is it's only there to prey on people who don't know better. It's a deplorable business practice, fooling the clueless parents or children who have stepped foot into foreign territory. I really do feel for the workers who have to push it upon the unsuspecting public. I remember I used to feel just as bad asking for anything from 50c to a euro as a service fee on phone credit in a shop I worked in, especially when there was a machine right around the corner that did it without the charge.

F1ngers

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Xtravision used to do this penny thing once. First time I didn't care. Second time soon after I thought it was a bit weird, but still didn't really care. If it is a company wide policy though, then it is a frickin' joke.

I remember this from a few years ago.
We used to get films out fairly regularly and got the "we don't have any 1c".
After a few times of this happening(and realising it happened to a lot of customers too) we would stand there and get them to credit our account 1c every time they said they had no 1c left.
We got it too...

jill_valentine

Again, it's not a company wide policy anywhere. It just happens a lot because it's not worth keeping enough 1cs on hand to last to the end of the day, given that many - if not most - customers find them an inconvenience at best.

If somebody insists, they usually get a 2c anyway, so it ultimately makes a negligible difference to the chains themselves.

Liam O

who cares about 1c coins tbh, they shouldn't be there in the first place.

Mc Love

Retr0gamer wrote: »

You don't need to like games to work in a games retailer.

When they opened in the crescent in Limerick, they specifically asked about your knowledge of games and gaming!

johnmcdnl

They always give the cent back in Cavan ftw!!! i'll not get poor over them

(next time I buy a game there not going to have change are they)



besides seriously like - how can you expect them to have that many 1c coins in the tills like... in tesco or whatever other shops people actually do have in cent coins to pay once in a while and every single bill doesn't end up at 29.99 or 49.99 or whatever like... if gamestop sold 200-300 items a day they'd need over a thousand 1c coins per week like... ( i have no idea what a gamestop store sells in a day so take that number as a random estimate...)


how many of ye actually either buy more than 1 or 2 games at a time so the bill doesn't end with .99 or .98
how many of ye pay with anything other than notes..


so naturally they're going to have a shortage of 1c coins unless they went up to the bank and got a bin bag full of them every once in a while...




still bad form though on their behalf but sure I'm not gonna get mad over maybe 10-20c per year max that it costs me




****ing hate the disc insurance and preorder ****e though :mad: :mad: no I don't want disc insurance in case I stand on my disc and break it - and if I did do that that probably wouldn't be even covered would it :mad: and no I don't want to preorder a game that doesn't even have a review for it yet :mad: