I fucking loled so hard at that jim carrey picture xD bravo sir! bravo!

That's why you sir have to use Steam

Ah the benefits of being a pc gamer

Your lucky, we don't even have a Gamestop here anymore =/

First time i stepped into a gamestop i noticed the prices where bigger. The only time i ever go and buy something from gamestop is when they're the only one that have the game i am looking for. And that hasn't happend in ages. I mostly buy my games on steam or on a Swedish site that is really good for disk games(They send home the CDs).

Lol... my local "gamestop" (not really a gamestop) is actually cheaper then all the other stores in my country. xD

If I didn't understand economics then I would agree with you. Thing is they need to turn a profit otherwise their concept of buying your games will be abused. Think of it this way: you are going on Craigslist to buy something but of course you would negotiate for a price generally lower than its worth. Same thing Gamestop is doing. Now for preorder bonuses. How do they afford to place such bonuses in AAA titles? The extra profits they get from used games. Now Gamestop doesn't look like a demon just smart businessmen

If they know they can get away with giving so little for trade-ins and get so much money for their overpriced games they are going to keep doing it. It's the same reason why CoD is £45-50 ($70-80) or so every year (even AC3 was!!)... It's because they KNOW their audience is going to buy it for those extortionate prices. Me, on the otherhand, I wait until I have all my money and vouchers from Christmas and then rob the highstreet and their dirt cheap prices on the 26th of December

All in all, if you're sick of being ripped off don't waste your damn time complaining or protesting just shop somewhere else - simple! And don't say it's the only shop in your area because that's what the internet is there for, everything is cheaper on the internet if you look in the right places!

I used to work for Game Crazy in 2008, and was laid off when Movie Gallery went bust. Game Crazy was actually turning profits, and (despite what some may say, I saw this first hand) their prices were so much better for used products than Gamestop.

Despite Game Crazy "Splitting" from Movie Gallery, the stores still shared space with Hollywood Videos, and therefore were under the same lease. When MG decided to open up stores like crazy, the Recession kicked in, and basically eradicated MG as they could not drive customers to the new stores fast enough to begin turning over within 5 years (Turning over means to make a return on the investment, IE "Going Black"). Considering Game Crazy shared leases with a now liquidated company (Hollywood Video), they were forced to liquidate their own assets.. To Gamestop in particular.

Game Crazy, when I was working for them, was making a killing on Wii's during the "Shortage" (Bravo Nintendo). I was on the news for one of the epic Wii shipments our store received.

Why do I mention this? Well, what other "strictly games" store is competing with Gamestop? Walmart, Best Buy, etc share the same prices for new games and consoles, considering the video game companies don't give much wiggle room on pricing (That's why you see games like "Dynasty Warriors 17,490,765 stay at $60 even for used copies, because devs like Koei are mostly full of shite when it comes to their American Divisions). So in essence Gamestops real profit motive is in their used games, as well as game/console warranties and memberships.

Basically Gamestop holds a majority on the market for used games, especially here in CA considering Pawn Shops are almost non-existent. That gives them the inclination to raise prices, not live up to expectations, and cut employment (deeply scarring customer support across the board), because the gamer has no choice but to use Gamestop for their console games.

I used to constantly buy and return games to Game Crazy, because i would receive a decent amount in credit allowing me to supply my habit without spending TOO much money. I can't do the same with Gamestop, their rates just make me want to hold onto my games (all the while they make a killing).

Bottom line is, Gamestop is the only stop for your used console games (save for pawn shops), and it's because of that that they are practically entitled to raise their rates (While blaming it on the credit crisis, a tactic that's all too popular these days). This is a problem and I want competition to surface, considering there is still room for profit whilst undercutting Gamestop.

I remember someone mentioning to me while I worked for Game Crazy that working for Gamestop was the literal equivalent to working at a concentration camp. At Game Crazy you were actually encouraged to play video games while slow, to build product knowledge. Apparently if you're caught playing games at Gamestop in a way that's not informing a customer to the condition of a used game, you're written up, then fired after a second time.

I even used to make a commission on my sales (specifically console warranties). I asked a guy at Gamestop about it, and his jaw dropped. They don't make a commission on ANYTHING. That's called a stranglehold on the market.