The closest one to me a an hour away so I’m not likely to visit it anytime soon. 😂I do just fine at my local GameStop and my other alternatives. Love your points as always as they are usually spot on and always make me laugh! Great video you two!
@@stevecraigretrogames yeah I don't think it's worth the drive for what people would be trading in, not to mention then you have to worry about it being a fake game. No thanks!
Just the other day, I got a really good copy of PNO3 at my local GameStop for 40 bucks, I was stunned lol. I think you’re right about GameStop getting in the retro mix too late tho, 7-8 years ago, this would’ve been an excellent move.
That's definitely a big win! I know not all the stores will be equal with what they are offering and how well (or if) their employees are trained. Getting into the retro game this late definitely makes me wonder if they are grasping. I feel like since they missed the boat by so much they would have been far better off training and securing retro consoles to test games. I hope the return policy is atleast good
It's crazy! My pawnshops and local gamestores all offer significantly less than gamestop around here. The nearest pawnshop near me pays $35 for consoles and $3 for games.... across the board The mom and pop stores offer 20% on the dollar
@@RNGGamerYT yeah I'm not surprised by that. It can definitely be wildly different even from state to state I would imagine. I've heard so many people say that their thrift stores are amazing and we have the complete opposite here.
I honestly don’t even go into GameStop here anymore. It’s 3/4 plush, mugs, and random toys. I just don’t think of it as a game story at this point. 🤷♂️ I’m glad you reached out to them, I was going to start hitting the local ones up but will just keep steering clear for now.
Yeah, the employees here are great and I want them to continue having a place to work but my gosh, as a business Game Stop makes it hard to want to support them. Just not what they used to be.
Appreciate posting about this. I completely agree that this is a last-ditch effort by the part of the upper management that has no clue what they're doing. Even with this, not all stores are doing it and the selection from what I've seen is basically their old storage/warehouses of shitty past trade ins no one wants like sports titles and stuff without cases. I worked for Gamestop in the early 2000s, and it's sad to see how bad it's gotten (at least in my area). I live in Missouri, and our best option in the Midwest US is a store called Vintage Stock. You HAVE to go into the storefront because their website is abysmal, but they're at least trained in spotting fakes, and they offer other physical media, including tv/movies, CDs, records, and toys Other than day 1 triple A releases, there's no reason for me to visit Gamestop anymore. Ps: regarding trade ins, it's so bad in the US because all game storefronts follow our pawn laws, which state you only have to offer between 5% to 15% of the going value of an item. 😒
GEEZ, those pawn laws are terrible. We are so lucky in comparison and I feel very fortunate. Ours typically offer somewhere between 50-70, some of the smaller ones maybe not as much but not nearly that bad. Yeah Game Stop is on a bad decline. It's sad to think that at some point in our life time it will be gone. That's just a fact. With digital getting a huge push more and more each day, Game Stop has gotten into the retro market far too late for all the wrong reasons.
People said bad things about GS but I don't see anything bad about it. They are a business to make money. I see it as a competition to mom/pop store and online purchasing store. More competition, better opportunities for buyers. I don't trade in at all. The only thing I worry is the real and fake games out there and it might be in GS warehouse.
Don't get me wrong, our local game stops have the nicest employees. They are great to deal with and we appreciate their knowledge BUT Game Stop is swimming without their floaties trying to sink if they don't put some training into this. The employees SHOULD be trained on fake games and they SHOULD have a way to test.
I'm not gonna lie gamestop retro isn't all bad, there's good prices, also when I was a kid gamestop was called ebgames, love yall glad I met yall thru rng
Awww, that's good to hear. I think they need to work on their retro offering across the board. Not so much in merch (because you can't control that) but in the training. Happy we found you too through RNG gamer. Always appreciate finding a great channel I've never seen before.
For Retro gaming: You're just better to go to any of your local pawn shops, flea markets or any convention that comes in your area. Or any online companies that carry them. Game Stop Retro. I don't see them competing in anything or having the most retro games & consoles.
I live in a big city in the US. I am blessed to have 8 or so gamestops in my area, 3 game exchanges, and 4 mom and pop shops. Gamestop is my best best at trading in games. I took $900 worth of Wii games to the best mom and pop shop in the area. They offered me $115 trade in. Gamestop didn't take everything, but they game me $200 trade in credit for about $400 worth of games. I had to put $5 down on an upcoming preorder to get the 20% bonus credit. I have since some the extra wii games for $200. My gamestops are always packed full of used games.
@@Primetime-te7jx That's amazing actually, but it sucks at your pawn shops don't do better. See we're the complete opposite here where GameStop offers almost nothing and I kid you not our local pawn shop, just a 5-minute drive away from us. Gives amazing trade value. Gamestop couldn't even touch what they're going to give, but because of that the turnover rate at that pawn shop is ridiculously fast. They give better trade and they sell below price charting.
The only time we bothered with trade ins at GS was much newer titles for trade in towards the purchase of a console. Absolutely much better options elsewhere (I am located in Moncton too!). We still call it EB Games. I remember when they were near the food court at Champlain Mall, and the Plaza location didn't even exist (also back then, Future Shop was still in the mall).
@@dmphax yeah towards a console makes total sense, especially if the game is for that console and you're trading in for something completely different. Oh my God, that's too cool that you're in Moncton also and I remember Best buy being Future shop. That's actually where Scott bought me my first camera.
I refuse to even go in there ever again. First time i went in they told me they give top dollar for trades. I traded a game for $1 and they put it on the shelf for $20. Also saw used games priced higher than brand new at Walmart. They can s*^k my ass.
As a Canadian in Ontario I can honestly say we have a ton of great local retro stores with competitive prices. I have no issues with Gamestop Retro coming in, but they gotta step things up and make it feel like a brand new experience, otherwise itll get the free market axe.
YUP! Absolutely agree. If the want to compete in the Retro market they need to know their competition, be competitive and learn how to spot fakes and have consoles to test their games.
It's crazy that the best option for Canada for used games are pawn shops. We have probably 50 pawn shops in my area and they don't normally take games or have them.
@@Primetime-te7jx Definitely don't think that's a universal thing in Canada, but here in our city in New Brunswick, the pawn shops are by far a better option. I could think of at least half a dozen that would be better options than either GameStop we have here
I visited my local “Retro” GameStop and let’s just say…it was soooo Impressive (sarcasm). 😂 I don’t think in the long run it will work for them to be honest. The biggest problem is that they won’t train their employees properly to make it work. Too many cases of fake games being accepted and then sold to customers. Too many cases of ripping people off on trades. They just won’t be willing to do what it takes to make it work. If they did they would dominate the retro game market because they have a massive footprint and could make it tough for other retro shops if they paid more for trades. That being said you get better deals at pawn shops and thrift stores when you get lucky and with the local mom and pop stores you have a level of trust (or should) from building good relationships and I prefer to spend my money there. Great topic! 🍻🤙🏻
Oh it's a crap shoot! All the fake games and no way to test them. I hope they have a hell of a return policy...and not for credit! I fully endorse supporting local, especially those mom and pop shops. They know what it takes and they are financial tied to their treatment of the community
If Gamestop Retro has a great selection of games at a competitive price, I think I'd be happy to have it around. But, if they're mostly doing it to sell old shovelware stock, then nah, I'm good. I will say, as far as modern games go, I still personally quite enjoy visiting Gamestop, as they (in my opinion) still consistently hold the best stock. I could go to Parlour for a Switch game, and they have jack shlack for games, but when I go to Gamestop on Plaza, they have more than a few that I'm interested in. I'll also add that I personally experienced great used game deals at Gamestop. I could be wrong, but I don't believe they operate at a value basis like the Pawn shops do. My feeling is they price games their own way, mainly because they get them SO much cheaper with their shotty trade-in practices. Buy cheap, sell cheap. But again, could be wrong on that! All that being said, I am by *no* means a Gamestop sympathizer lol. They've pissed me off more than a few times throughout the years. Great video guys! Looking forward to the next one.
@@Ragnarook77 as someone who knows the value of games and isn't looking to sell them then I would honestly be interest to see what they have to offer. I think a lot of people would lose their shirts though on trades if they don't know the market. We actually enjoy going to GameStop too and really like the employees. I haven't had many bad experiences thankfully. The worst thing right now is if you're not ordering day one on an indie title, you can forget about picking it up at GameStop. I think the same would be true though of Walmart and Best Buy if you could even pre-order it there. Switch games are definitely hit or miss at Parlour. They have a few people that watch The daily deals like a hawk and snatch up anything they put out for the purpose of reselling. Unfortunately it's not something they can control outside of pricing switch games closer to retail. I worry how much longer GameStop will be around. That digital push makes me think they won't be able to compete and that's why the US is pushing retro. I think our Canadian GameStops will close in less than 10 years.... And that's being optimistic
We don't even have gamestops here in Finland or in Europe anymore. Don't really miss 'em either. Also what i've seen pics from GS retro stores, it's mostly Ps3 and X360 so don't feel like i'm missing out much.🤔
You're definitely not missing out. If I wasn't a GameStop fan, I'm less of one now. I wanted to pick up my copy of SH2 remake dressed in my creepy nurse costume and they told me No filming in the store. 😞
When I go to game stop I usually just go take a look around and sometimes I don’t buy anything and the prices where I live are high usually. I went to a game stop in a bigger city and the prices were cheaper I couldn’t believe the difference. So that’s something to look for when you go to a game stop next time
That makes sense. We're such a small city that I think that's part of it. We just don't get the deals that Toronto (for example) might get. We're typically Game Stop browsers as well.
I think that everybody knows that GS is going to close eventually besides GS themselves lol! Like you've said, they jumped on this way too late and they've been making horrible business decisions for many years! Since GS bought EB, I don't know if it was the same everywhere in the country but in Montreal the deals were never the same as in the States, the coupons were never the same, the rewards with the memberships were never the same, in the end it's like we were treated as second rate citizens over here lol! The pawnshops over are not great regarding gaming prices (even game selections). A place that I'm surprised getting good deals is on eBay and I'm not joking! Sure it's not the same kind of deals that in a local store but considering the fact that the seller has to pay fees to sell, it's not bad at all! I've been buying almost exclusively on eBay for the past 2 years and if you're patient, you get some decent deals! Great video and keep up the good work!
@@DanofWar101 yeah eBay is definitely a better place to buy games, GameStop or EB Games ever was. You're right, our sales never compared with what people in the states got. It's sad but GameStop is almost not necessary. I like my local GameStop don't get me wrong but they got a huge thumbs down from me a couple weeks ago when I asked It was okay to go into the store dressed up in my Silent Hill nurse costume and film me picking up my game. Told me I wasn't allowed to film in there.... Which is sad because it would have been great for them as well. Should have asked for forgiveness instead of permission 🤷🏼♀️
I probably wouldn't go to Gamestop Retro if we had it, we have limited but better options in Halifax. FWIW re. merch and not-game stuff, I am so grateful that Gamestop Canada stepped up as a great option for Canadians for current Tamagotchi models, because my local Wal-Marts don't even stock the gen 1 and gen 2 end cap displays anymore. So it's nice to not get murdered by amazon US for current tamagotchis.
That's awesome that you're able to find a great use for Game Stop. We've gotten lucky there with hats of all things. Nice to see another Canadian in the comments. We were planning to make a trip this fall to Halifax for some game hunting but won't have the time. I'd love to pick your brain for places we should visit when we finally get around to it :)
Gamestop Canada is terrible. Their membership was previously pretty poor in terms of benefits/perks compared to the US, and now they've even gotten rid of that. Its too bad
@@tyler8585 Oh it's absolutely abysmal. I don't think people in the US realize how much better to have it and that's saying something because I think as a business model GameStop is on their way out. It might not be today or tomorrow but it feels like they're grasping at straws trying to get into a market they really don't know anything about or are willing to learn about
@@raresttortoise Oh absolutely anybody looking for a copy of Mario or Jackal, something super common and cheap, it's all good. A copy of Pokemon Heart Gold....pass!
You aren’t really missing much with a GameStop retro. The best time was that time before the announcement when they were slowly accumulating retro games and the prices hadn’t kept up. The only good thing is there are retro games… but they are pretty close to retail pricing so save your gas and just buy it on eBay if you want to pay those prices.
@@lordxibalba825 yeah that's honestly what I thought when I heard it was a thing. I just don't think there's enough meat on the bones to justify the spend. I mean at least they're keeping the resellers from snatching up everything good but is there even anything good?
@@RetroRivals the good games vary by location, I’ve found all kinds of stuff N64, GameCube, PS1/PS2, Psvita etc.. There. Oils be some instances Amazon sellers could snap those games up but a regular eBay seller would have little to no meat on the bone for those prices.
I don’t see anything in Toronto GameStop and Ottawa when I drive around searching old games but staff says no we don’t just ps4, ps5 and series XS and witch games
It seems that the retro gaming market has been booming since 2022. Now, it is at a point where the game stores are now selling retro stuff at prices not so economical. The same ol' story: "People want it, they'll pay for it." I sometimes feel that the retro game market is using blackmarketing tactics to raise the prices of retro stuff. Do you feel likewise at times? Maybe, I am just overthinking.😇
No, I absolutely feel like that too. I think it's a lot of manipulation tactics and even though retro is more popular than ever at the same time, we are seeing a very subtle dip as well. Then again it was so far up in 2020. Maybe it's just stabilizing now but always on the high side. Much higher than what it used to be in the good old days when people collect it because they wanted to play the games and not just because they were investing in future value
@@RetroRivals I am glad that you agree with me. Some serious manipulation is going on when it comes to the retro gaming market. Yes! From 2020-21, during the Covid era, people were quite depressed, especially during the lockdown. Lots of gamers decided to revive the good old days of gaming. Lots of gamers bought retro stuff some after relaxation was announced in Sep-Oct 2020. GameSpot even mentioned it in one of their articles published online then. I think this is the reason why game stores are capitalising (with the aim of maximum profits) on the retro gaming market.😇
Yeah it'll take another 5 years for anything to come to Canada. I would say the Game Stop here is a bit better than Walmart or Best Buy. So they have new games & a bin with only PS4 or Xbox 1 games in there for older games. Mainly shovel ware. I don't buy games there mainly because the brand new games are already opened when they sell them. Employees knowledge of a retro game, they get a 0/10. To be honest, they didn't know what a PS3 was. PS3 ain't retro. I buy my games at Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon or any of those pawn shops you mentioned or a specific video game store they have here.
Pausing the video here, great video so far, but I follow another RUclipsr's channel and he has stated from a reliable source that the PS6 will be the last console to have an attachable disc drive that you can buy separately just like the PS5 slim, and the new PS5 pro, buy when they start developing the PS7 that's when it will be all digital, and as ive said before at that point I'm out of buying next Gen Consoles. I believe there is a Gamestop retro close to me, but from what I heard, the Gamestop Retros are not going to be new stand alone store, but rather a small section in a few select stores and not all Gamestop s will have a retro section
@@EvilMyers That's an absolute bummer to hear, but not at all surprising. Yeah by the time ps7 comes around I'll be well into my '50s and I have a lifetime of games as it is. I heard the same thing about the Retro stores, but I just wish the ones that had it would have pre-trained their employees to detect fakes and have a way to actually test the games. It's like throwing s*** at the wall and seeing if it'll stick!
@RetroRivals , the video I saw about this, he went into a Gamestop and filmed inside a regular Gamestop and he said it was very disappointing, and did buy something, and wasn't impressed, he even filled inside another one, and was talking to the employee, and they employee who worked there didn't even know his store was selected to carry some of the retro game's, he said this lady came into his store and said he was going to be carrying retro game's, so the employee called corporate ro confirm this, and corporate told him how does the customer know that this store was being selected to carry retro stuff, but corporate did confirm that his store would indeed be selected to carry them. That is pretty bad from Gamestop corporate headquarters to not even let their store managers who would be carrying retro game's in there locations, and what's worse is that I don't even think each Gamestops that are selected won't even have a disc resurface machine in their stores to ensure they have clean disc based game's with no scratches on them, and I don't even think some of the GBA cartridges will be inspected to make sure they are not fakes
Anything Retro is better than Modern Garbage Games. I think they already made a good move by adding mangas, plushies, figurines, toys & merch that's related to video games in the store. Plus the 1 year garantie from the store on used games would be a better option than some pawn shop who only give you 5 days or wtv
@@Poncholives I think if they're going to provide retro games though they need to do it in a way that is pro-consumer so have a way to test them and have your staff trained to spot fakes is all I'm saying. I guess that's where we differ from most people and I guess that makes us pretty lucky that our pawn shops are amazing. We get way better trade value here. Their staff is trained and we get a 30-day guarantee. I think in the MANY MANY years we've been shopping there. We've never had to return a single game because they test them and they know how to spot fakes.
@@RetroRivals Yeah very true. Sadly in my area it's harder to find a good pawn shop or retro shop. Now that I think of it Gamestop was never on the side of the consumer only on their investors and bigger companies who are paying extra money to have their games displayed in front.
I only order online anymore. VGP is amazing. GameStop is pre-orders only and full priced used games. Never a single sale. It's not worth spending the gas to go there anymore. Also, their web site is a mess.
@@audreyscrapaloup I really need to get on ordering something from vgp. Is it true that I can often get limited run games there without the horrendous exchange and shipping prices? That fomo's got me so I haven't pulled the trigger yet on vgp just for that reason.
I don't think we need it, I can't stand Game Stop anyway and definitely wouldn't trust the employees to be selling me legit copies AND I wouldn't ever sell anything to them. Love my independent store for that and would way rather support them.
@@femtrooper Happy to hear you feel the same. And yes, our independent stores are the best here too. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have nearly the collection we do
To tell you the truth I bought a bunch of retro games at GameStop from NES to N64 Wii Wii U PS2 PS3 original Xbox I have no problem with buying cartridges and all that from gamestop. Because when I get home I can open them up and check them out and usually I can spot a fake one and I found them at cheaper prices than the local retro mom and pop shops and pawn shops, but not all of them some of them they do try to sell at market value or a little over
I'm happy to hear that. So I'm assume then their return policy is pretty decent? My biggest problem is people not know how to spot fakes and over paying but I guess if you playing to enjoy the game, it might not matter to them
@@RetroRivals yes, they have a seven day return policy no questions asked. But like you guys I do like to support local and small twin businesses. Gamestop is just one of many places i go to find vintage games.
It really hasn't come to USA. They are spread super thin and almost no product. The mom and pop shops around here literally have 1000x the selection for retro games.
That's what I was thinking as well. I know it's not in every gamestop and there's got to be half a dozen pawn shops or thrift stores in most people's area that I don't know if this is even necessary. Just seems like they're trying to get into it to get their fingers in the retro pie.
Most gamers dont buy old games except avid collectors. The others just emulate old games. GS retro wont last long, heck Gamestop will be lucky to be around after 2030.
Yeah, that's a great way of putting it. I don't know how many people would be willing to drop hundreds of dollars on a used game if they are not wanting to put it in a collection. With digital growing in numbers and supporters 2030 seems completely plausible
I stopped at GameStop over a decade ago, that place is abysmal, rather go through the nine gates of hell then deal with annoying employees. They changed to noisy hardwood floors, so as soon as I walk in the floor squeaks and the employees look at me like a deer in headlights, "can I help you find anything?" MFer I just walked in, let me look around 😂 retro GameStop is a terrible idea, untrained young kids for fake games and GameStop will make their own prices for retro games. Yeah no thanks, I'd rather buy new on Best buy or Amazon and used at local retro stores or eBay, no thnx GameStop........no thnx. Jen!!!!!!
@@ChrisMeth7285 this is why I love your comments LOL. Just straight up facts. I agree you can barely walk through the doors there and they're on top of you. I'm not sure if it's just store policy or they're desperate. Who knows if their employees are expected to sell through a certain percentage. Retro won't work the way they're trying to do it. No training. No way to test games and just straight up no way!
Gamestop p**ped the bed so bad. They were the only game store in most towns for years. I go to video game stores weekly and it is never gamestop. It is a shame. They didn't believe in their own market.
I think they're just getting really desperate and getting into the Retro market because at some point with the digital push people will only be buying Retro games and without it GameStop's got nothing.
We don't have Game Stop. We have Game, and they seem just as bad as your Game Stop. Fortunately, we have Cex, pronounced with an "S" no joke. They are preowned only but do decent trade. For new, I'm strictly Amazon and Play Asia.
@RetroRivals Amazon have destroyed new game brick and mortar, which is one of the reasons people go into a frenzy about this all digital future, just because they don't see games in physical stores. Trust me, all of my local preowned stores have the newest games on their shelves within a week of launch. I really should put together a video on the myth of the all digital future 🤔
Devil's advocate, but all the years gamers whined and moaned and complained about GS, is anybody really surprised they're not trying harder? If you tell me everyday Im crap and blast me online, I'm not doing anything to help you. People have already long switched to buying online, so I'm not shocked by their limiting stock by only supplying pre-orders. It's inventory management and is tricky. Soooo....spend out to get multiple copies to collect dust on shelves and lose money in price drops all in the hopes that grandpa Scott comes in to maybe pick up this one, out of 30, new game releases this month?😂 For the non-gaming stuff, of course they're trying to find something to sell as gaming leans into a digital frontier. A bakery not offering gluten-free as trends shift is dooming their own business. It's either sell something or close up shop. My point is, while I don't agree on many of their ideas, I DO understand their attempts to tread water. Moreover, gamers killed GS and are now complaining, just as people did with movie stores and toy stores.... They hate on it until it's gone and then wax nostalgic and wish it were back....
@@DoYouNerd You make a lot of sense and I always love hearing the counter argument to the discussion. I get that physical media is a dying business so for new stuff they're probably not going to carry everything. But I think I just miss a time where you could go into a GameStop and pick up whatever your heart desired. Now with Walmart and Best Buy basically selling almost no games it's hard to find physical games for modern systems. As for the "gluten-free" argument, I have absolutely no problem with them branching out but they don't seem to know what "gluten". I get that they're getting into retro because physical media is going bye-bye but they don't have the consoles to test the games and they don't have the knowledge to spot fakes. Even if they would have held off by a couple months and trained everybody and got the stuff they needed to do retro properly, I think way less people would be giving them s*** for it.
@@RetroRivals Absolutely on board with you in walking into a shop and getting what we want--like what a concept, right? lol Also, on that mention of Best Buy, I really do wonder how numbered their days are and if they know it (sad but true). I've always thought it'd be great if GS could go back and just sell video games, retro, modern, ALL. Sadly, with their turnover, I know it wouldn't behoove them to take the time/waste the money to properly train employees. Even then, you still need them to care enough to do it up right and if I consistently hear baristas whine about--gasp--having to make a custom coffee drink, you know people nowadays are less likely to "do a good job." Mostly, I hate the idea of losing GS, but sadly, there really is no future. What are the numbers out there like for those who care about physical anyway? It seems like a lot in the right community, but then you hear from so many about their own kids NOT wanting physical games and the like, so how can a business like GS even plan for that sort of future market?
@@DoYouNerd I think GameStop can plan for that future market if they do it properly. I'm not sure if they can make a business out of it but starting out on the wrong foot is not the right way to do it. It would kill me to see GameStop go under, but I agree. I think it's inevitable with physical media slowly depleting. I think honestly GameStop's best bet is to get rid of their brick and mortar and operate more like a limited run, but I'm not sure they could even do that or compete with the likes of Amazon. I really do feel like their days are numbered.
Never liked EBGames/Gamestop. Everytime I'd walk in there at my location, I'd feel looked down upon and pressured into getting their memberships. I think the last time I bought there was a used copy of the first Spiderman that they nearly wanted full price for. Treating your customers with contempt is not a good business model.
I've heard lots of that too. Thankfully we haven't experienced much of that at our Game Stop but the trade value is not worth it and the fact that a new game and a used game are almost the same price seems like a deterrent to buying used.
@@RetroRivals No, definitely not worth it. I could understand if it were a newish game that someone played and wanted to trade in, but they also do this with older games, so I've always went there only as a last resort, and I've always kind of felt dirty walking in there.
Never been a big fan of Gamestop but the any attempt to "corporatize" retro gaming is an instant "no thanks" for me... There apparently is one in my local area and there is a curiousity to see what it's like for a video, but other than that... Nah...
That's the problem that I don't think people are really considering is that GameStop isn't getting into the Retro market because they think the consumer wants it. They're getting into the retro market because they need to with modern going completely digital. It'll be the only games left around to buy and they want a piece of that pie!
@@DadLadsGaming Definitely won't be missing much. I would hate to see for the long-term employees at our local GameStop to be out of a job, but honestly I think it's a matter of time.
I absolutely agree with you. We really enjoyed EB Games back in the day but even in recent years before they changed and branded as GameStop it just was going downhill. It's so much easier to just order something on Amazon and I think GameStop knows it.
Lol these kids calling it ebgames like that was its original name before gamestop. Ebgames is the new name that they used to spruce up the business and make it appeal to kids. The original name was Electronics Boutique.
@@gregjones1339 We actually remember it being electronics boutique as well but going that far back is just going to confuse people. Especially people south of the border who've never even heard of EB Games. It was a Canadian thing.
Gamestop is a shitty place to shop for games. What Canada needs is something similar to what Hong Kong has with Golden Computer Arcade but that's never going to happen.
@@tinlunlau1 That would be awesome if Canada had better options. Gamestop is just not great here and maybe it's because our pawn shops are better than what I'm hearing US has. They may have a rose colored glasses sort of situation.
@@RetroRivals in Scarborough, we have that one store that specializes in selling import games and action figures but the problem is, this store like to jack up prices to everything in stock
@@tinlunlau1 That sucks! Like I get having a competitive business and making a profit but that business model can only be sustained so long before people go; "You know what I can wait 3 days and get my item in the mail to save a substantial amount of money." Brick and mortar stores need to do better because the online competition is fierce!
@@RetroRivals the only way you can convince them to lower the price is if you join in their membership plan. Granted, they import alot of their inventory from Hong Kong and use the quickest method of delivery so the increased pricing is justified but I can get the same product for a cheaper deal and a 10-12 day wait.
The closest one to me a an hour away so I’m not likely to visit it anytime soon. 😂I do just fine at my local GameStop and my other alternatives. Love your points as always as they are usually spot on and always make me laugh! Great video you two!
@@stevecraigretrogames yeah I don't think it's worth the drive for what people would be trading in, not to mention then you have to worry about it being a fake game. No thanks!
Just the other day, I got a really good copy of PNO3 at my local GameStop for 40 bucks, I was stunned lol. I think you’re right about GameStop getting in the retro mix too late tho, 7-8 years ago, this would’ve been an excellent move.
That's definitely a big win! I know not all the stores will be equal with what they are offering and how well (or if) their employees are trained.
Getting into the retro game this late definitely makes me wonder if they are grasping. I feel like since they missed the boat by so much they would have been far better off training and securing retro consoles to test games. I hope the return policy is atleast good
It's crazy! My pawnshops and local gamestores all offer significantly less than gamestop around here.
The nearest pawnshop near me pays $35 for consoles and $3 for games.... across the board
The mom and pop stores offer 20% on the dollar
@@RNGGamerYT yeah I'm not surprised by that. It can definitely be wildly different even from state to state I would imagine.
I've heard so many people say that their thrift stores are amazing and we have the complete opposite here.
I honestly don’t even go into GameStop here anymore. It’s 3/4 plush, mugs, and random toys. I just don’t think of it as a game story at this point. 🤷♂️ I’m glad you reached out to them, I was going to start hitting the local ones up but will just keep steering clear for now.
Yeah, the employees here are great and I want them to continue having a place to work but my gosh, as a business Game Stop makes it hard to want to support them. Just not what they used to be.
Appreciate posting about this. I completely agree that this is a last-ditch effort by the part of the upper management that has no clue what they're doing. Even with this, not all stores are doing it and the selection from what I've seen is basically their old storage/warehouses of shitty past trade ins no one wants like sports titles and stuff without cases. I worked for Gamestop in the early 2000s, and it's sad to see how bad it's gotten (at least in my area). I live in Missouri, and our best option in the Midwest US is a store called Vintage Stock. You HAVE to go into the storefront because their website is abysmal, but they're at least trained in spotting fakes, and they offer other physical media, including tv/movies, CDs, records, and toys Other than day 1 triple A releases, there's no reason for me to visit Gamestop anymore.
Ps: regarding trade ins, it's so bad in the US because all game storefronts follow our pawn laws, which state you only have to offer between 5% to 15% of the going value of an item. 😒
GEEZ, those pawn laws are terrible. We are so lucky in comparison and I feel very fortunate. Ours typically offer somewhere between 50-70, some of the smaller ones maybe not as much but not nearly that bad.
Yeah Game Stop is on a bad decline. It's sad to think that at some point in our life time it will be gone. That's just a fact. With digital getting a huge push more and more each day, Game Stop has gotten into the retro market far too late for all the wrong reasons.
People said bad things about GS but I don't see anything bad about it. They are a business to make money.
I see it as a competition to mom/pop store and online purchasing store. More competition, better opportunities for buyers.
I don't trade in at all. The only thing I worry is the real and fake games out there and it might be in GS warehouse.
Don't get me wrong, our local game stops have the nicest employees. They are great to deal with and we appreciate their knowledge BUT Game Stop is swimming without their floaties trying to sink if they don't put some training into this. The employees SHOULD be trained on fake games and they SHOULD have a way to test.
I'm not gonna lie gamestop retro isn't all bad, there's good prices, also when I was a kid gamestop was called ebgames, love yall glad I met yall thru rng
Awww, that's good to hear. I think they need to work on their retro offering across the board. Not so much in merch (because you can't control that) but in the training. Happy we found you too through RNG gamer. Always appreciate finding a great channel I've never seen before.
For Retro gaming: You're just better to go to any of your local pawn shops, flea markets or any convention that comes in your area. Or any online companies that carry them.
Game Stop Retro. I don't see them competing in anything or having the most retro games & consoles.
@@tonyp9313 I totally agree Tony. Our pawn shops here are amazing and locally owned. I'd rather continue supporting them
I live in a big city in the US. I am blessed to have 8 or so gamestops in my area, 3 game exchanges, and 4 mom and pop shops. Gamestop is my best best at trading in games. I took $900 worth of Wii games to the best mom and pop shop in the area. They offered me $115 trade in. Gamestop didn't take everything, but they game me $200 trade in credit for about $400 worth of games. I had to put $5 down on an upcoming preorder to get the 20% bonus credit. I have since some the extra wii games for $200. My gamestops are always packed full of used games.
@@Primetime-te7jx That's amazing actually, but it sucks at your pawn shops don't do better. See we're the complete opposite here where GameStop offers almost nothing and I kid you not our local pawn shop, just a 5-minute drive away from us. Gives amazing trade value. Gamestop couldn't even touch what they're going to give, but because of that the turnover rate at that pawn shop is ridiculously fast. They give better trade and they sell below price charting.
The only time we bothered with trade ins at GS was much newer titles for trade in towards the purchase of a console.
Absolutely much better options elsewhere (I am located in Moncton too!).
We still call it EB Games. I remember when they were near the food court at Champlain Mall, and the Plaza location didn't even exist (also back then, Future Shop was still in the mall).
@@dmphax yeah towards a console makes total sense, especially if the game is for that console and you're trading in for something completely different.
Oh my God, that's too cool that you're in Moncton also and I remember Best buy being Future shop. That's actually where Scott bought me my first camera.
I refuse to even go in there ever again. First time i went in they told me they give top dollar for trades. I traded a game for $1 and they put it on the shelf for $20. Also saw used games priced higher than brand new at Walmart. They can s*^k my ass.
@@denisgoguen1097 totally agree! Top dollar my ass!
As a Canadian in Ontario I can honestly say we have a ton of great local retro stores with competitive prices. I have no issues with Gamestop Retro coming in, but they gotta step things up and make it feel like a brand new experience, otherwise itll get the free market axe.
YUP! Absolutely agree. If the want to compete in the Retro market they need to know their competition, be competitive and learn how to spot fakes and have consoles to test their games.
It's crazy that the best option for Canada for used games are pawn shops. We have probably 50 pawn shops in my area and they don't normally take games or have them.
@@Primetime-te7jx Definitely don't think that's a universal thing in Canada, but here in our city in New Brunswick, the pawn shops are by far a better option. I could think of at least half a dozen that would be better options than either GameStop we have here
I visited my local “Retro” GameStop and let’s just say…it was soooo Impressive (sarcasm). 😂 I don’t think in the long run it will work for them to be honest. The biggest problem is that they won’t train their employees properly to make it work. Too many cases of fake games being accepted and then sold to customers. Too many cases of ripping people off on trades. They just won’t be willing to do what it takes to make it work. If they did they would dominate the retro game market because they have a massive footprint and could make it tough for other retro shops if they paid more for trades. That being said you get better deals at pawn shops and thrift stores when you get lucky and with the local mom and pop stores you have a level of trust (or should) from building good relationships and I prefer to spend my money there. Great topic! 🍻🤙🏻
Oh it's a crap shoot! All the fake games and no way to test them. I hope they have a hell of a return policy...and not for credit!
I fully endorse supporting local, especially those mom and pop shops. They know what it takes and they are financial tied to their treatment of the community
If Gamestop Retro has a great selection of games at a competitive price, I think I'd be happy to have it around. But, if they're mostly doing it to sell old shovelware stock, then nah, I'm good.
I will say, as far as modern games go, I still personally quite enjoy visiting Gamestop, as they (in my opinion) still consistently hold the best stock. I could go to Parlour for a Switch game, and they have jack shlack for games, but when I go to Gamestop on Plaza, they have more than a few that I'm interested in.
I'll also add that I personally experienced great used game deals at Gamestop. I could be wrong, but I don't believe they operate at a value basis like the Pawn shops do. My feeling is they price games their own way, mainly because they get them SO much cheaper with their shotty trade-in practices. Buy cheap, sell cheap.
But again, could be wrong on that!
All that being said, I am by *no* means a Gamestop sympathizer lol. They've pissed me off more than a few times throughout the years.
Great video guys! Looking forward to the next one.
@@Ragnarook77 as someone who knows the value of games and isn't looking to sell them then I would honestly be interest to see what they have to offer. I think a lot of people would lose their shirts though on trades if they don't know the market.
We actually enjoy going to GameStop too and really like the employees. I haven't had many bad experiences thankfully. The worst thing right now is if you're not ordering day one on an indie title, you can forget about picking it up at GameStop. I think the same would be true though of Walmart and Best Buy if you could even pre-order it there.
Switch games are definitely hit or miss at Parlour. They have a few people that watch The daily deals like a hawk and snatch up anything they put out for the purpose of reselling. Unfortunately it's not something they can control outside of pricing switch games closer to retail.
I worry how much longer GameStop will be around. That digital push makes me think they won't be able to compete and that's why the US is pushing retro. I think our Canadian GameStops will close in less than 10 years.... And that's being optimistic
We don't even have gamestops here in Finland or in Europe anymore. Don't really miss 'em either. Also what i've seen pics from GS retro stores, it's mostly Ps3 and X360 so don't feel like i'm missing out much.🤔
You're definitely not missing out. If I wasn't a GameStop fan, I'm less of one now. I wanted to pick up my copy of SH2 remake dressed in my creepy nurse costume and they told me No filming in the store. 😞
@@RetroRivals oh they're like that?! What a bunch of bastards! It would only be good advertisement for them.
Right?!?
I miss when eb games were still around before GameStop bought them out GameStop freaking sucks gooch
@@MrBleedingthru totally agree with you there. With everything being changed over to GameStop we lost what little perks we had with EB Games
When I go to game stop I usually just go take a look around and sometimes I don’t buy anything and the prices where I live are high usually. I went to a game stop in a bigger city and the prices were cheaper I couldn’t believe the difference. So that’s something to look for when you go to a game stop next time
That makes sense. We're such a small city that I think that's part of it. We just don't get the deals that Toronto (for example) might get. We're typically Game Stop browsers as well.
I think that everybody knows that GS is going to close eventually besides GS themselves lol! Like you've said, they jumped on this way too late and they've been making horrible business decisions for many years! Since GS bought EB, I don't know if it was the same everywhere in the country but in Montreal the deals were never the same as in the States, the coupons were never the same, the rewards with the memberships were never the same, in the end it's like we were treated as second rate citizens over here lol! The pawnshops over are not great regarding gaming prices (even game selections). A place that I'm surprised getting good deals is on eBay and I'm not joking! Sure it's not the same kind of deals that in a local store but considering the fact that the seller has to pay fees to sell, it's not bad at all! I've been buying almost exclusively on eBay for the past 2 years and if you're patient, you get some decent deals! Great video and keep up the good work!
@@DanofWar101 yeah eBay is definitely a better place to buy games, GameStop or EB Games ever was. You're right, our sales never compared with what people in the states got. It's sad but GameStop is almost not necessary. I like my local GameStop don't get me wrong but they got a huge thumbs down from me a couple weeks ago when I asked It was okay to go into the store dressed up in my Silent Hill nurse costume and film me picking up my game. Told me I wasn't allowed to film in there.... Which is sad because it would have been great for them as well. Should have asked for forgiveness instead of permission 🤷🏼♀️
I probably wouldn't go to Gamestop Retro if we had it, we have limited but better options in Halifax. FWIW re. merch and not-game stuff, I am so grateful that Gamestop Canada stepped up as a great option for Canadians for current Tamagotchi models, because my local Wal-Marts don't even stock the gen 1 and gen 2 end cap displays anymore. So it's nice to not get murdered by amazon US for current tamagotchis.
That's awesome that you're able to find a great use for Game Stop. We've gotten lucky there with hats of all things. Nice to see another Canadian in the comments. We were planning to make a trip this fall to Halifax for some game hunting but won't have the time. I'd love to pick your brain for places we should visit when we finally get around to it :)
Gamestop Canada is terrible. Their membership was previously pretty poor in terms of benefits/perks compared to the US, and now they've even gotten rid of that. Its too bad
@@tyler8585 Oh it's absolutely abysmal. I don't think people in the US realize how much better to have it and that's saying something because I think as a business model GameStop is on their way out. It might not be today or tomorrow but it feels like they're grasping at straws trying to get into a market they really don't know anything about or are willing to learn about
On cheap games I wouldn’t worry too much about much but if it’s a high end top dollar game I would like to know I’m buying a original copy
@@raresttortoise Oh absolutely anybody looking for a copy of Mario or Jackal, something super common and cheap, it's all good. A copy of Pokemon Heart Gold....pass!
I’ve been visiting a bunch around me. Still trying to find more good to talk about…
I got AC 3 for the ps3 for $5 😱 I was shocked
I'm not sure what AC 3 is, Assasins Creed 3? I'd say that's about going rate but if you're happy, that's all that matters :)
I am honestly worried that Gamestop is going to cause damage to Retro because they simply do not care about anything but profit.
@@moandaindesigns I totally agree. I don't think this is at all pro consumer. They just want a slice of the pawn pie!
You aren’t really missing much with a GameStop retro. The best time was that time before the announcement when they were slowly accumulating retro games and the prices hadn’t kept up. The only good thing is there are retro games… but they are pretty close to retail pricing so save your gas and just buy it on eBay if you want to pay those prices.
@@lordxibalba825 yeah that's honestly what I thought when I heard it was a thing. I just don't think there's enough meat on the bones to justify the spend. I mean at least they're keeping the resellers from snatching up everything good but is there even anything good?
@@RetroRivals the good games vary by location, I’ve found all kinds of stuff N64, GameCube, PS1/PS2, Psvita etc.. There. Oils be some instances Amazon sellers could snap those games up but a regular eBay seller would have little to no meat on the bone for those prices.
I don’t see anything in Toronto GameStop and Ottawa when I drive around searching old games but staff says no we don’t just ps4, ps5 and series XS and witch games
yup, I don't see retro coming to our gamestops. They way they are doing them though, it's not needed
@@RetroRivals yeah that’s true morning Canada
It seems that the retro gaming market has been booming since 2022. Now, it is at a point where the game stores are now selling retro stuff at prices not so economical.
The same ol' story:
"People want it, they'll pay for it."
I sometimes feel that the retro game market is using blackmarketing tactics to raise the prices of retro stuff. Do you feel likewise at times? Maybe, I am just overthinking.😇
No, I absolutely feel like that too. I think it's a lot of manipulation tactics and even though retro is more popular than ever at the same time, we are seeing a very subtle dip as well. Then again it was so far up in 2020. Maybe it's just stabilizing now but always on the high side. Much higher than what it used to be in the good old days when people collect it because they wanted to play the games and not just because they were investing in future value
@@RetroRivals I am glad that you agree with me. Some serious manipulation is going on when it comes to the retro gaming market.
Yes! From 2020-21, during the Covid era, people were quite depressed, especially during the lockdown.
Lots of gamers decided to revive the good old days of gaming. Lots of gamers bought retro stuff some after relaxation was announced in Sep-Oct 2020. GameSpot even mentioned it in one of their articles published online then. I think this is the reason why game stores are capitalising (with the aim of maximum profits) on the retro gaming market.😇
Yeah it'll take another 5 years for anything to come to Canada. I would say the Game Stop here is a bit better than Walmart or Best Buy. So they have new games & a bin with only PS4 or Xbox 1 games in there for older games. Mainly shovel ware.
I don't buy games there mainly because the brand new games are already opened when they sell them.
Employees knowledge of a retro game, they get a 0/10. To be honest, they didn't know what a PS3 was. PS3 ain't retro. I buy my games at Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon or any of those pawn shops you mentioned or a specific video game store they have here.
OMG, I hate the opened brand new games. I don't even know how that's a thing they can do! Drives me mad!
Totally need training. AGREED!
Game Stop Canada should be rename as Toys Stop as 90% of the store items are now toys.😉
Oh my God that's absolutely on the money!
Pausing the video here, great video so far, but I follow another RUclipsr's channel and he has stated from a reliable source that the PS6 will be the last console to have an attachable disc drive that you can buy separately just like the PS5 slim, and the new PS5 pro, buy when they start developing the PS7 that's when it will be all digital, and as ive said before at that point I'm out of buying next Gen Consoles. I believe there is a Gamestop retro close to me, but from what I heard, the Gamestop Retros are not going to be new stand alone store, but rather a small section in a few select stores and not all Gamestop s will have a retro section
@@EvilMyers That's an absolute bummer to hear, but not at all surprising. Yeah by the time ps7 comes around I'll be well into my '50s and I have a lifetime of games as it is.
I heard the same thing about the Retro stores, but I just wish the ones that had it would have pre-trained their employees to detect fakes and have a way to actually test the games. It's like throwing s*** at the wall and seeing if it'll stick!
@RetroRivals , the video I saw about this, he went into a Gamestop and filmed inside a regular Gamestop and he said it was very disappointing, and did buy something, and wasn't impressed, he even filled inside another one, and was talking to the employee, and they employee who worked there didn't even know his store was selected to carry some of the retro game's, he said this lady came into his store and said he was going to be carrying retro game's, so the employee called corporate ro confirm this, and corporate told him how does the customer know that this store was being selected to carry retro stuff, but corporate did confirm that his store would indeed be selected to carry them. That is pretty bad from Gamestop corporate headquarters to not even let their store managers who would be carrying retro game's in there locations, and what's worse is that I don't even think each Gamestops that are selected won't even have a disc resurface machine in their stores to ensure they have clean disc based game's with no scratches on them, and I don't even think some of the GBA cartridges will be inspected to make sure they are not fakes
Anything Retro is better than Modern Garbage Games. I think they already made a good move by adding mangas, plushies, figurines, toys & merch that's related to video games in the store. Plus the 1 year garantie from the store on used games would be a better option than some pawn shop who only give you 5 days or wtv
@@Poncholives I think if they're going to provide retro games though they need to do it in a way that is pro-consumer so have a way to test them and have your staff trained to spot fakes is all I'm saying.
I guess that's where we differ from most people and I guess that makes us pretty lucky that our pawn shops are amazing. We get way better trade value here. Their staff is trained and we get a 30-day guarantee.
I think in the MANY MANY years we've been shopping there. We've never had to return a single game because they test them and they know how to spot fakes.
@@RetroRivals Yeah very true. Sadly in my area it's harder to find a good pawn shop or retro shop. Now that I think of it Gamestop was never on the side of the consumer only on their investors and bigger companies who are paying extra money to have their games displayed in front.
Gamestop Canada has such an awful website. And store inventory is pretty meh. Not a fan.
Oh tell me about it. The US website is so much better.
I only order online anymore. VGP is amazing. GameStop is pre-orders only and full priced used games. Never a single sale. It's not worth spending the gas to go there anymore. Also, their web site is a mess.
@@audreyscrapaloup I really need to get on ordering something from vgp. Is it true that I can often get limited run games there without the horrendous exchange and shipping prices? That fomo's got me so I haven't pulled the trigger yet on vgp just for that reason.
I don't think we need it, I can't stand Game Stop anyway and definitely wouldn't trust the employees to be selling me legit copies AND I wouldn't ever sell anything to them. Love my independent store for that and would way rather support them.
@@femtrooper Happy to hear you feel the same. And yes, our independent stores are the best here too. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have nearly the collection we do
To tell you the truth I bought a bunch of retro games at GameStop from NES to N64 Wii Wii U PS2 PS3 original Xbox I have no problem with buying cartridges and all that from gamestop. Because when I get home I can open them up and check them out and usually I can spot a fake one and I found them at cheaper prices than the local retro mom and pop shops and pawn shops, but not all of them some of them they do try to sell at market value or a little over
I'm happy to hear that. So I'm assume then their return policy is pretty decent? My biggest problem is people not know how to spot fakes and over paying but I guess if you playing to enjoy the game, it might not matter to them
@@RetroRivals yes, they have a seven day return policy no questions asked. But like you guys I do like to support local and small twin businesses. Gamestop is just one of many places i go to find vintage games.
It really hasn't come to USA. They are spread super thin and almost no product. The mom and pop shops around here literally have 1000x the selection for retro games.
That's what I was thinking as well. I know it's not in every gamestop and there's got to be half a dozen pawn shops or thrift stores in most people's area that I don't know if this is even necessary. Just seems like they're trying to get into it to get their fingers in the retro pie.
If I was to buy a game at gamestop in Canada can I return it to the gamestop in the U.S or no? ;)
That's a good damn question! I've never even thought of that before
Most gamers dont buy old games except avid collectors. The others just emulate old games. GS retro wont last long, heck Gamestop will be lucky to be around after 2030.
Yeah, that's a great way of putting it. I don't know how many people would be willing to drop hundreds of dollars on a used game if they are not wanting to put it in a collection. With digital growing in numbers and supporters 2030 seems completely plausible
I stopped at GameStop over a decade ago, that place is abysmal, rather go through the nine gates of hell then deal with annoying employees. They changed to noisy hardwood floors, so as soon as I walk in the floor squeaks and the employees look at me like a deer in headlights, "can I help you find anything?" MFer I just walked in, let me look around 😂 retro GameStop is a terrible idea, untrained young kids for fake games and GameStop will make their own prices for retro games. Yeah no thanks, I'd rather buy new on Best buy or Amazon and used at local retro stores or eBay, no thnx GameStop........no thnx. Jen!!!!!!
@@ChrisMeth7285 this is why I love your comments LOL. Just straight up facts.
I agree you can barely walk through the doors there and they're on top of you. I'm not sure if it's just store policy or they're desperate. Who knows if their employees are expected to sell through a certain percentage.
Retro won't work the way they're trying to do it. No training. No way to test games and just straight up no way!
Before I even watch: You don't want it lol
@@chasehatfield927 Lol you're not wrong
Gamestop p**ped the bed so bad. They were the only game store in most towns for years. I go to video game stores weekly and it is never gamestop. It is a shame. They didn't believe in their own market.
I think they're just getting really desperate and getting into the Retro market because at some point with the digital push people will only be buying Retro games and without it GameStop's got nothing.
We don't have Game Stop. We have Game, and they seem just as bad as your Game Stop. Fortunately, we have Cex, pronounced with an "S" no joke. They are preowned only but do decent trade.
For new, I'm strictly Amazon and Play Asia.
Yeah, I think both are better options and I think it's a matter of time before they completely destroy the brick and mortar competition.
@RetroRivals Amazon have destroyed new game brick and mortar, which is one of the reasons people go into a frenzy about this all digital future, just because they don't see games in physical stores.
Trust me, all of my local preowned stores have the newest games on their shelves within a week of launch. I really should put together a video on the myth of the all digital future 🤔
Devil's advocate, but all the years gamers whined and moaned and complained about GS, is anybody really surprised they're not trying harder? If you tell me everyday Im crap and blast me online, I'm not doing anything to help you.
People have already long switched to buying online, so I'm not shocked by their limiting stock by only supplying pre-orders. It's inventory management and is tricky. Soooo....spend out to get multiple copies to collect dust on shelves and lose money in price drops all in the hopes that grandpa Scott comes in to maybe pick up this one, out of 30, new game releases this month?😂
For the non-gaming stuff, of course they're trying to find something to sell as gaming leans into a digital frontier. A bakery not offering gluten-free as trends shift is dooming their own business. It's either sell something or close up shop.
My point is, while I don't agree on many of their ideas, I DO understand their attempts to tread water. Moreover, gamers killed GS and are now complaining, just as people did with movie stores and toy stores.... They hate on it until it's gone and then wax nostalgic and wish it were back....
@@DoYouNerd You make a lot of sense and I always love hearing the counter argument to the discussion. I get that physical media is a dying business so for new stuff they're probably not going to carry everything. But I think I just miss a time where you could go into a GameStop and pick up whatever your heart desired. Now with Walmart and Best Buy basically selling almost no games it's hard to find physical games for modern systems.
As for the "gluten-free" argument, I have absolutely no problem with them branching out but they don't seem to know what "gluten". I get that they're getting into retro because physical media is going bye-bye but they don't have the consoles to test the games and they don't have the knowledge to spot fakes. Even if they would have held off by a couple months and trained everybody and got the stuff they needed to do retro properly, I think way less people would be giving them s*** for it.
@@RetroRivals Absolutely on board with you in walking into a shop and getting what we want--like what a concept, right? lol Also, on that mention of Best Buy, I really do wonder how numbered their days are and if they know it (sad but true).
I've always thought it'd be great if GS could go back and just sell video games, retro, modern, ALL. Sadly, with their turnover, I know it wouldn't behoove them to take the time/waste the money to properly train employees. Even then, you still need them to care enough to do it up right and if I consistently hear baristas whine about--gasp--having to make a custom coffee drink, you know people nowadays are less likely to "do a good job."
Mostly, I hate the idea of losing GS, but sadly, there really is no future. What are the numbers out there like for those who care about physical anyway? It seems like a lot in the right community, but then you hear from so many about their own kids NOT wanting physical games and the like, so how can a business like GS even plan for that sort of future market?
@@DoYouNerd I think GameStop can plan for that future market if they do it properly. I'm not sure if they can make a business out of it but starting out on the wrong foot is not the right way to do it. It would kill me to see GameStop go under, but I agree. I think it's inevitable with physical media slowly depleting. I think honestly GameStop's best bet is to get rid of their brick and mortar and operate more like a limited run, but I'm not sure they could even do that or compete with the likes of Amazon. I really do feel like their days are numbered.
Never liked EBGames/Gamestop. Everytime I'd walk in there at my location, I'd feel looked down upon and pressured into getting their memberships. I think the last time I bought there was a used copy of the first Spiderman that they nearly wanted full price for. Treating your customers with contempt is not a good business model.
I've heard lots of that too. Thankfully we haven't experienced much of that at our Game Stop but the trade value is not worth it and the fact that a new game and a used game are almost the same price seems like a deterrent to buying used.
@@RetroRivals No, definitely not worth it. I could understand if it were a newish game that someone played and wanted to trade in, but they also do this with older games, so I've always went there only as a last resort, and I've always kind of felt dirty walking in there.
Never been a big fan of Gamestop but the any attempt to "corporatize" retro gaming is an instant "no thanks" for me... There apparently is one in my local area and there is a curiousity to see what it's like for a video, but other than that... Nah...
That's the problem that I don't think people are really considering is that GameStop isn't getting into the Retro market because they think the consumer wants it. They're getting into the retro market because they need to with modern going completely digital. It'll be the only games left around to buy and they want a piece of that pie!
It doesn't sound like you'll be missing much.
@@DadLadsGaming Definitely won't be missing much. I would hate to see for the long-term employees at our local GameStop to be out of a job, but honestly I think it's a matter of time.
I used to love EB Games, but since becoming Game Stop, they've become irrelevant. Within 2 to 5 years, I say they won't exist.
I absolutely agree with you. We really enjoyed EB Games back in the day but even in recent years before they changed and branded as GameStop it just was going downhill. It's so much easier to just order something on Amazon and I think GameStop knows it.
Lol these kids calling it ebgames like that was its original name before gamestop.
Ebgames is the new name that they used to spruce up the business and make it appeal to kids. The original name was Electronics Boutique.
@@gregjones1339 We actually remember it being electronics boutique as well but going that far back is just going to confuse people. Especially people south of the border who've never even heard of EB Games. It was a Canadian thing.
Gamestop is a shitty place to shop for games. What Canada needs is something similar to what Hong Kong has with Golden Computer Arcade but that's never going to happen.
@@tinlunlau1 That would be awesome if Canada had better options. Gamestop is just not great here and maybe it's because our pawn shops are better than what I'm hearing US has. They may have a rose colored glasses sort of situation.
@@RetroRivals in Scarborough, we have that one store that specializes in selling import games and action figures but the problem is, this store like to jack up prices to everything in stock
@@tinlunlau1 That sucks! Like I get having a competitive business and making a profit but that business model can only be sustained so long before people go; "You know what I can wait 3 days and get my item in the mail to save a substantial amount of money." Brick and mortar stores need to do better because the online competition is fierce!
@@RetroRivals the only way you can convince them to lower the price is if you join in their membership plan. Granted, they import alot of their inventory from Hong Kong and use the quickest method of delivery so the increased pricing is justified but I can get the same product for a cheaper deal and a 10-12 day wait.
I’ve been visiting a bunch around me. Still trying to find more good to talk about…
@@GamerAhmer sometimes there's just not a whole lot of good in something and I wonder if that's what GameStop retro is.