According to this:
Kotaku reports that a GameStop corporate policy of selling games played by store employees as brand-new may be a violation of federal law: GameStop's "check-out" policy, confirmed to Kotaku by a number of the chain's managers and employees, could fall under scrutiny of the Federal Trade Commission.Kotaku cites GameStop's policy, which it reports that it obtained from several employees of the leading video game retailer: Associates are allowed to check out one item of store merchandise for personal use for up to four days. Merchandise checkout is a privilege, not a right, and may be revoked at any time... If the product is returned in unsellable condition, or if anything is missing from the package, or if the product is not returned, the Associate must purchase the product...When asked by Kotaku, the Federal Trade Commission declined to say whether GameStop's practice of selling employee-played games as new might be considered deceptive. The FTC also declined to say whether it was looking into the practice.
-- Mike
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I have heard this before. It's stuff like this that's killing gamestop. If they let their employee's play the games and then sell them as new that defeats the purpose of selling a new game. Do they re seal them after? I wouldn't buy a game marked as new at gamestop if it wasn't sealed. (although I rareley shop there anyway, and when I do its only to buy a cheap used game) Gamestop must like to lose customers...
aka toxicrat2
chinezekid1: I have heard this before. It's stuff like this that's killing gamestop. If they let their employee's play the games and then sell them as new that defeats the purpose of selling a new game. Do they re seal them after? I wouldn't buy a game marked as new at gamestop if it wasn't sealed. (although I rareley shop there anyway, and when I do its only to buy a cheap used game) Gamestop must like to lose customers...
They have "display copies" where they keep the game behind the desk. The employee played ones are kept with them. I don't buy new games from Gamestop, but if I did, I just wouldn't accept any copies that aren't sealed.
Hmm, I work at Game Crazy, and our big thing is we let you test out the game before you buy it. When we don't have any used copies, we simply open a new copy and let people try it. Of course, we don't let the customer handle the game, and the system is locked up so they can't mess with it.
Do you think this would fall under the same problem? At my store, we do give the game insurance(normally $.99-2.99) to the customer buying an open new game for free. That protects them for a year if anything happens.
Yep, this is common practice and if I sell one I make sure I give them a shopworn discount (10% off) because the game is no longer "new". Gutted copies for display are one thing, but new copies that have been "checked out" should not be sold as new IMO.
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I have heard this as well, which is why I won't accept a game that isn't sealed. But because of Goozex I rarely shop there at all anyway.
I can't speak for every store, but the one I worked at, we were only allowed to check out used copies.
Also most retailers (including gamestop) have the equipment to reseal games/dvds.
This could explain when I got my copy of MK vs DC that was "new" at gamestop, but it wasnt sealed it just had a circular piece of tape on the side of it...thats pretty poor customer service.
This has been EB's policy since I worked there a long time ago over 16 years ago. It was up the manager but you could "sign" a game out. This was to let us play and rate a game to better help the customers.
I've suspected this is the case. Also, I thought microcenter might be doing the same thing
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Old news to many of us, who ever "chatted" up the employees of these stores.
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chinezekid1: I have heard this before. It's stuff like this that's killing gamestop.
I have heard this before. It's stuff like this that's killing gamestop.
Huh?
You act like they are losing money and are on the verge of going out of business.
Oh yeah they do this. I ask for a game new so they pop a copy of a disc into a new case.
I walk outside the door and my game just got 50 percent devalued by them, without even touching it.
gamestop is such a rip off...
Lurknomore: Old news to many of us, who ever "chatted" up the employees of these stores.
Before Goozex I knew all my local GameStop employees so I know what your talking about... when you start having a conversation with an employee they tend to share some things they really shouldn't have to a customer
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