GAMESTOP DIRTY SECRETS - Happy Console Gamer
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- Опубликовано: 16 сен 2024
- JKB joins me to talk about his old days as a GameStop Assistant Manager and the shady things that went on behind the scenes...
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Join Johnny Millenium The Happy Console Gamer as he discusses new video game news and reviews forgotten games that not many people know about but should!
This episode should have been an hour long, i'd love to hear more EB horror stories from a former employee.
I had an employee tell me that I was not allowed to say "Konami" in their store.( I was lamenting the extinction of Castlevania.) I said my wallet does not allow me to pull my credit card out and I walked out.
Castlevania is still around?
That sounds like a neckbeard.
I don't think EB/Gamestop will be around much longer either. Their stores barely have any games anymore but instead are 75% "nerd junk". By nerd junk I mean like Deadpool shotglasses or Dragon Ball cookie jars or the endless parade of those shitty popcap vinyl figurines clogging up shelves. I've just noticed that those types of things have been sold by other stores desperately trying a "throw anything at the wall to see what sticks" approach near their end before closing down, like Microplay or HMV etc.
I hope that's not the case either but if they don't outright close down within the next 5 years then I wouldn't be surprised if EB/Gamestop completely rebrands itself the ThinkGeek storefront as it continues to phase out video games in favor of the "nerd junk" as I called it.
I second the hope that this happens. I really don't like buying every game I want digitally, but I'd rather never go into that place other than to browse. I'm not giving them another dime.
I don't think they will be closed in 5 years, but I think there will be a lot less stores kind of how RadioShack hung around for so damn long, but I've already noticed that my local GameStop no longer opens as early as it use to which was 9am, but now 10am when I walked by it yesterday morning coming out of a local cafe that's right next too it after having ate breakfast with my g/f, and her daughter. I truly hate some of the shitty things GameStop has done over the years, but I will say recently It was only place in my area I could preorder my "NEW" 2DS XL, not have to pay in full, and have it in my hands the day it was released(picked mine up Saturday morning after due to family BS), instead of having to wait for someplace online like Amazon, or Walmart to ship too me a week later, and for those type of things I hope they stay around for a while longer.
That's the reality of game stores though now - they can't make enough money off of game sales due to online purchases, so they need to sell SOMETHING to pay for the retail space.
I don't get why you're mad about them trying to stay in business.
I'm not mad, maybe a little annoyed when I go there and can't find whichever game I'm looking for as they carry so little stock of games anymore in comparison to the nerd junk but I'm just making an observation that those kinds of things are junk, they haven't sustained other stores on the decline because it's junk and I don't believe it will save EB/Gamestop from disappearing when digital downloads finally do eat too far into their profits.
Here is a tip to anyone who works in retail: Stuff like what happened with that district manager happens more often than you may think, but there is a nice trick to help yourself. If someone above you asks you to do something shady on the register and you feel like you have to do it, wait until they are out of your immediate area. Afterwards, most registers will allow you print an unlimited number of receipt copies of the last transaction after the transaction is done so you can replace a misplaced receipt for a customer. Print a copy of that bad boy and stick it in your wallet particularly if money is being put on their credit card or something identifiable. Then when the store copy "strangely disappears" you can whip out your own copy to prove what happened.
Awesome thing about working at Gamestop, was when the strategy guides would penny out. You were supposed to tear them and toss them out. Our manager would just let us keep them or give them out to our customers. Also, when the Microsoft rep would come around, they would always give employees free games. My best memory from Gamestop, was the fact I got my tickets to go to E3 because I worked for Gamestop. Of course there were bad times, but I just wanted to throw in some good things about the Gamestop I worked at.
Jens Schubert my old manager used to let us take pennied out guides. Once she left that ended quickly...
Does anyone remember Funcoland??? Funcoland was the best!
used to visit one in philadelphia. good days
Ness Kirby I bought my N64 with a copy of Zelda there. Great memories 😏.
AWE! Funcoland good times there. I remember buying a copy of Armored Core 2 for the PS2 a Week before the system even came out at Funcoland, what fun that was having a game for a system for a whole week just staring at the box wishing I could play it now.
I got Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64 at Funcoland. At the time there wasn't many video game stores near me even though I live in Chicago. The closest place that selled video games was Target and Best Buy but I wanted a video game store. The closest video game store that was near me was Funcoland on Peterson just east of Western Ave in West Rogers Park Neighborhood of Chicago and it took transfers to get there. Luckily once Gateway Center was built near me next to The Howard CTA Train Station which was going to have a renovation along with the new Gateway Center opened a Gamestop. At one time I was banned there because I stole my mom's debit card so I went to the Gamestop in Downtown Evanston. But I was unbanned at my local Gamestop and I'm still going there to this day.
briansivley2001 Have you tried Circuit city at the time before they closed their store here?
These are the kind of stories we want every week on the channel of the HappyConsoleGamer, bring us more of these characters.
Great stories. I find these Gamestop/EB Games stories fascinating. I feel bad for the managers and employees there. Such a tough position to be put in between the company and customers.
atarileaf Fuck the man!
Everyone is expendable. Don't become the bag man! 😂
In America during the 80's and early 90's I used to go to Electronics Boutique. It was nothing like it is today. It was a low key establishment hidden in the mall. For example in the Paramus NJ mall, it was on the lower level under the mall. Where the fantasy shop was, where you could buy Dungeon's & Dragons books, figurines and all kinds of dice. Electronics Boutique was quiet inside and it had that rug floor used in a Library. There would be just one bored cashier usually reading a book. They wouldn't push anything on you. I'd pay for Atari Pitfall and leave.
I don't miss Mad Catz. Most of their stuff was crap anyway.
Sarato I had a madcatz ps2 memory card and it worked excellent for me. Guess I was lucky.
Jeffrey Otero same but mine was GameCube
I had 2 controllers for PS2 and they were great. I was also like 11yrs old then so I had no real concept of good/bad equipment.
I used to have a Mad Catz DC flightstick/trackball combo controller on Sega Dreamcast. ('membeh Dreamcast? Yeh...I membeh! ) It was extremely handy for Unreal Tournament.
Their controllers were absolute garbage. The one I bought broke within a week.
EB Games wasnt Canada**** only. There were a few in my area (Pennsylvania) for a while. They were eventually converted to Gamestops, but they were here.
DaFuzZ7 had one in the mall here in central Indiana for years. Didn't know they even had a connection to gamestop
we had them in sweden until they changed into gamestop
DaFuzZ7 yeah I had an EB Games branch in Georgia that was my favorite place when I went to the mall. I went straight to EB Games to get my anime and my video games until it became GameStop I was so upset.
I've heard they have places in Australia, too.
GameStop in Denmark too was called EB at one point.
I remember my mom being suckered into buying one of those madshit controllers when I was younger. Life comes full circle now I wouldn't touch Gamestop with a 12 foot pole.
Your mom probably didnt know wtf she was buying since she was an uniformed mother buying shit for her whiny child. Happens all the time, dont worry about it.
Luca Leone you must be fun at parties
It feels like every big gamestore is corrupted. Here in Belgium their is a gamestore called Game Mania, one time i went to the store to buy a game, and Dead or alive 2 was playing on a ps2. I told to the owner that it looked bad compared to the Sega dreamcast version and let it see playing. He put the game in on dreamcast was amazed by the better graphics and also a lot of costumers. Then al of a sudden he turned of the game and put the ps2 back on with the game. I said what are you doing ?? He said, if i let dead or alive playing on dreamcast i won't sell a playstation 2 anymore and that's not the intention. So there you have it, even stores where payed by sony to destroy dreamcast.
poemkid1, who knows !
DOA2 did look amazing on Dreamcast, it still looks good today.
thats not really "corrupt" though. i mean they are a business.. they have to make money. he probably had a bunch of ps2's he had to get rid of.
@@0oidiedinatimemachineo024 quid pro quo is illegal and would be classified as corruption via violating anti competition laws.
God. Don't even get me started. I've worked there off and on. Electronic Boutique was great, EB Games was great. GameStop was horrible. I started about a year after he did. Thanks for making this video.
EB Games was NOT great. Once they changed the name, the store was shit... The way they describe gamestop sounds exactly like EB to me. In fact, I can't tell the difference at all.
We had EB in the states as well. Gamestop was originally Funcoland until EB bought them out and turned into Gamestop.
Yup, I remember there was EB games, Funcoland and Babbage's here in Chicago.
Gamestop bought EB Games
No, GameStop bought out EB.
That's nuts. As someone that used to work for a rival chain about 12yrs ago, most of the stories I have would be so boring. Except that time a customer wanted to fight me infront of his kid for not taking a $4 coupon...
Besides that, we'd horde the good stuff usually but that's about it.
We'd have EB employees come to our store for used games, because even with their discount, we were still cheaper!
All corporate managers that don't have immediate supervision think they are untouchable and can do whatever they want. You need to watch your back because the garbage they do can get you fired and blackballed too.
6:30 This story reminds me of my first job at Babbages (which later became GameStop). I go in to work one morning (it's a mall store) and the gate was down. So as a regular employee I can't even get in. So I sit outside the store on a bench for like 3 hours until finally the supervisor shows up and opens the store. I didn't say anything, I just worked normally. Then a couple weeks later the manager comes up to me and asks "why were you so late on this day?" so I told him exactly what happened. I never saw that supervisor again.
I just feel like hcg is such a genuinely sweet kind hearted person.
Did JKB tell the same story on ReviewTechUSA?
Brandon Frate yes
yeah he did
I thought I had heard it before
Man I thought I was going crazy listening to this story, I had to look it up and make sure it was the same thing.
I knew the story sound familiar.
Story from my local GameStop, on more than one occasion "by accident" they have put the disk/game protection charge on my receipt without my approval/never was asked. Always check your receipts, watch out for their shady practices.. 👀
Or you could just stop supporting them like I did years ago.
With the first story about the corrupt DM, basically what he was doing was embezzling from the company. I wouldn't feel too bad about him, as he was setting JKB up to take the fall. I imagine when the DM went into the meeting, he was made an offer to either resign, or they were going to prosecute. The stone cold look on his face was probably his realization that he could have wound up in prison for his crimes. Companies take stuff like that very seriously. It is not tolerated. At all. Screw that guy.
In the second story, the managers pushing for sales of that defective controller and the sub-par Matrix game probably had their bonuses based on sales for the end-of-year quarter. And it sounds like the returns on the controller was not a metric taken into consideration in regards to sales metrics. Now as a disclaimer, I don't know if this is true, as I am not privy to EB/Gamestops internal business practices/policies. But I would not be surprised.
I remember ordering games from Funcoland out of EGM and shopping at Babbage's and Electronics Boutique in the mall. Then they were all bought up and all that was left is Gamestop. Now it looks like Gamestop isn't going to be around too much longer and everything is going to be online.
EB used to be a separate entity in my mind from Gamestop. At least in Oklahoma. It wasn't until like 2005 when the merger happened and they finally started going towards Gamestop. EB was one of those stores I remember going into as a kid and looking at consoles and video games. in the 80's and 90's.
We had EB in the states too
We had EB in Australia
Play the video at 0.5X, they sound like they are just drunk and rambling about gamestop. Hiliarious!
Whinging more like. Great talk though.
Talldude1980 😂😂😂😂😂
They sound hammered and when they try to explain things it gets worse and makes them sound more drunk😂
thank you so much
Play it in 2x speed and they sound like they had 18 monster drinks a piece XD
Snap!! My two favorite youtubers!! Awesome!!
Brother Dave thank you for watching Dave!
GameStop hq is in Texas, I had an ex co-worker do similar things and our DL and Regional director took care of it. He didn't last long and after he "left" the store improved so much
wtf kind of a loser would want to waste time going back to a store just to have somebody sell them the game in a more enthusiastic voice??
PhilomathBret I agree!
This is incredible ( ! ...)
I'm french and it's weird because I used to work at Micromania (in France).
It was a wonderful time. But between 2008 and 2011 gamestop bought the Micromania brand in France. From that day on : 70/80 % of the people working at Micromania have been fired. I've witnessed hundreds of stories like these when I worked there....
Thanks again Johnny for your videos : )) . Great job , as always !
Continue
I can honestly say I've never been in a GameStop and have only heard stories about it.
GTV you're not missing much
Do yourself a favor and keep it that way.
Where do you shop for games?
-PlayStation 4- DARK_HUNTER_44m smaller game stores like fx or game exchange where I'm at. Better environment plus you could have access to old school titles as well.
I'm from Georgia in the US and the first game store I was ever involved with was Electronic Boutique and I knew it as that. I do remember the sign out front changing to EB Games a little before they went out of business and then a GameStop cropping up in a separate location close by soon after.
We still have 7 day return policy in Australia EB Games
top ten souls feet when
I really like the staff at my GameStop (as a costumer). They know me by name, one of them calls me Sora, one of them recently pushed me on an ongoing sale they were having (which I hate when they do) but he did so because he had noticed I was special kinda gamer who often bought and talked about games that not many talked about, so he wanted to sell me on this game that he thought I'd like, so thumbs up for that. Cool guys, all of them........ but, I do prefer to buy online, so that I can take my time without getting bothered, and no one to push me to buy more.
GameStop/EB games won't last. I figure Amazon will buy them out and use them as a brick and mortar store to sell their discounted electronics.
i hate company's like amazon and ebay so much because they do not have actual stores to go to
at least gamestop is a store to go to i hate company's like those mostly
because when we order stuff our mailman either puts stuff in the wrong mailbox or steals the mail @Lantz
16:20 Damn! They literally legit got owned!
On a sidenote please have Jay on more episodes. These Gamestop stories are a hoot!
On a side-sidenote I 'd like to hear more about Johnny's seemingly bad experience with Sonic Adventure 2.
I think Gamestop had Bob killed, they drove him out somwhere in the woods and shot him in the head with a Mega Man Mega Buster Gun!!!!!!!
😂
or shoved a Mad Crap controller down his throat
"You disappoint me, Bob."
And then ate peanut butter buster parfait’s after
Probably did jail time tbh. That's pretty bad.
I had a Babbages at my local mall (Small town Michigan). I remember at the time I always heard the names EB and GameStop (mostly in magazines and online forums) but had never been to either. Eventually, quite a bit later my local Babbages became a GameStop. Great video!! Enjoyed this one a lot. Always fun to hear other people's stories from way back when.
"Bob's" real name is Steve
I gave up on GameStop years ago. I couldn’t just walk in and purchase a game without being harassed for 20 minutes, trying to up-sell merchandise, get me to subscribe to their crappy magazine, pre-order games, etc. My wife and I would actually have fights over how long it would take me to “just run in there really quick and buy a game”. The one good point about the store, that I went to, was that the salespeople were honest. If a game sucked, they would tell me that it sucked. They also got to know my tastes in games and would recommend games, which I wouldn’t have otherwise considered, and really enjoyed them. It also drove me crazy that they had to recite a 30 second commercial every damn time that I called, just to see if they had something in stock. I put up with it because I knew that the person answering the phone was being forced to do it. I will defend them, however, on the prices that pay people for trade-ins. I can’t count the number of rants that people have made about how they purchased a hot new game, tried to trade it in and were only offered $25 for it. If you paid $60 for a game that is still selling for the same price, and you want $40 for it, sell it yourself!!! That’s what Craigslist is for. If you want to be lazy and let someone else sell it for you, you have to take less money. It’s just that easy.
I miss when GameStop use to be eb. I was pissed when GameStop bought them out!!!
I remember in the US before GameStop was called a GameStop it was called Funcoland. We also had electronic boutique in the states. Before GameStop bought them they had a lot of pc hardware
He actually DID already tell this story in 2015 on Review Tech USA. Also, "Bob's" real name is Steve.
kinda shitty thing to do revealing his name. not so for the guy "steve" but for respect for the storytellers wishes for this guys name not to come out...
I have a little bit long story about my experiance as a customer of Games Stop in Germany and i guess its shows that all the storys about this store are true:
My experience with GameStop Germany in Europe was that I preordered GTA IV Collector’s Edition (long time ago) as an Import from another EU member state, because the EU member states using PEGI with uncut versions, other hands Germany as one of the member states have still until today their own rating system for games and movies, called USK, that have really cut versions of games and movies. So, I received a wired call two weeks before and the guy on the fon told me, that he is really sorry, but there will be not an uncut PEGI version as a collector’s edition. I would have a choice to change my order to a USK German collector’s edition as a cut version or the EU PEGI uncut as a normal edition. I told him over and over that I don’t know and I want to do some background check before I really decide this. He told me to that even this nformations about the versions are not guaranteed because they don’t know what they get shipped from Rockstar Games because no one knows which versions Rockstar will bring to the market. I really was totally confused, always thinking two weeks before release there should have this already manufactured if not already shipped out to the stores at least inform the stores about the manufactured versions. I say that I do not wish any changes on my order, if there know more they should call me again, he agreed. After checking some websites of Gaming Magazines, I figured out that even the USK German Version would not be cut at all. So I did not received any new call and I head up in a big line in front of the Games Stop to get my Collectors Edition - i paid a really cheap price and woundere about it until i wait on the secound line to get the game, and than - they gave me just the standard game - I say sorry but I ordered the collector’s edition and even prepaid 10 Euro for it, the guy checking the computer and say no you ordered standard - I show him my recipe where its printed black on white: Collector’s Edition uncut Version he tell me yes but two weeks ago you called us to change the order and I say NO you called me and I wish what I have ordered. He says back to me: sorry the collector’s edition is already sold out or I take this or nothing at all - I Sayed okay give me my payed money back I will go to another store, he NO you preorder and pay and we deliver, if you don’t take the product your money is gone. I ask for the store manager - he said there is none, I say okay I will wait here until you will have some. He called someone, after 10 minutes the mall security came up to me and told me I am house forbitten in the store and I have to leave. I was not agrassiv or something other I just refuse to leave before I do not see the manager. After I was home I complaint to the Game Stope german HQ, even there the people was really unfriendly and told me I have change the order - so I got stuck with this normal version of the game (and yes its broke so much my heart that I have never played this game - still having it here unplayed as a dust collector) and yes I avoid GameStop all together, the GTA V was what I have played again - still upsad when I think about how much I was pationt to wait for the release and how much GamesStop crew me up that I really hate GTA IV. I have buy my games from now on only in a MEDIA MARKT or SATURN (something like best buy in the us) and never really shopped again in Games Stop. Customer in the hole world, if you enjoy and love gaming, just avoid this store so much you can… otherwise you will only get unhappy with it like I got it!
First Blood, that's a damn fine shirt
In the 90s, my local mall in South Carolina, had a gamestop, electronics botique, and an EBX.
video surveillance camera?
Nick The Hick I was thinking the same when he was telling the story, dude, you got him on camera, why you need the receipts for?
1lb2rt4t4rr2s The cameras are there for show basically. Gamestop doesn't have ANY footage in the back of the store. If someone sits in the back and they see someone do something like rob the store, they can then call the police. I got this info from someone who worked there.
Problem is a lot of stores not just GameStop have a system where every 24hrs the tapes get recorded over unless it's a HDD based system which a lot of stores still have not upgraded too, and if it's an HDD system when the drives start to get full the oldest files usually 24hrs of footage get deleted to free up space. I use to work for Dollar General for several years, and that's how our stores worked at least.
Nick The Hick the camera system is fake in most of the stores.
Honestly doesn't matter. Story was fake anyways.
I have two similar stories from the mid to late 90s, when Gamestop was known locally as FunCoLand
#1. There was a manager at the local store who would regularly pull a fast one on both the store and costumers.
When a customer would come in looking for a new copy, he'd reach back, open the new copy and give them cartridge/disk without the box (Usually SNES/N64/GEN). If the customer would ask why they can't have the box, he'd say it was for "Display purposely only" and usually get away with it.
He then would pocket the money, and since the box was still on the shelf, it was never removed from inventory. Luckily he was eventually caught and arrested.
#2. Employee, I think they were even the store manager, would tell costumers they would "Fix" broken consoles. What he would do is take the money for the repair, go across the street to K-mart and buy the exact same console that was being repaired, swap the new for the broken, then return it. When the costumer came back for their "Fixed" system, they'd be given the new console. While the old broken one was returned to K-mart, so as to not affect the store's numbers by defaulting it out, or marking it as a return.
He was allowed to continue doing this, and was never reprimanded for it.. though I do think people like him are a big reason why companies now scan the serial # of the consoles you purchase now a days.
We need to stop game stop
Stop Gamestop, full stop.
Stop, drop, shut em down, open up shop.
Lol he said this happened back when the gamecube came out. Its not like every gamestop employee is like those idiots. Especially so many years later
I gotta be honest here... I really enjoyed this collaboration. Very engaging stories and information about EB/Gamestop.
evilsciontist thank you very much
This dude kissed 8 bit eric lol
They're an item
The two stores we had for console gaming (circa TG16/Genesis/SNES/NEO-GEO...etc) were Electonics Boutique and Software ETC. This was in NJ, USA. Gamestop came way way later...after EB Games and Funcoland. So, just as a historic correction, this is where is started in the USA (at least on the east coast). I just caught your comment in the video.
As for Gamestop, I haven't purchased anything from them since the Gamecube era. I was burned then and that was enough for me. My physical releases are mostly coming from online ordering.
"They really put you in a weird position. At least 10 years ago. I don't know about now."
Oh I can tell you stories about recent actions from "Warner Brothers"...
Great to see JKB on the channel... I was shocked when he told me that Mad Katz story a few years back...
Actually before EB games it was a place called Babbage’s. That was before EB games and Gamestop!!!
Electronics Boutique and Babbages were two different stores but GameStop bought them both out. I worked at Babbages in the mid 90's.
I was a store manager at EB Games from 1999 to 2007...saw a lot of shady stuff in my time there too. LOTS of store managers in my district stole crap and got caught. WAY more than you would think. One of my employees wrote down customers' credit card info off of the paper copies we used to keep and used it to buy online porn...I found out when a police officer came to my store.
Hmm, he's talking about an Xmas rush and being pushed to sell the new (at the time) Enter the Matrix game...That came out in May of that year. Hmm.
wiseguy100 Probably meant Path of Neo, which came out in November 2005
Mixal I'm convinced he meant Path of Neo, because Enter the Matrix was actually a good game! I remember it being pretty well received for it's time.
Awesome to see both of you guys in a video together. I loved the gamestop stories JKB shared with RTU excited to see he is sharing more
Get to the point already!!!, this guy drags on his stories too long even after John told him to htfu.
xSeppuku ehh... I can't really explain it.
I worked at GameStop for a summer, it was a blast but we definitely did some shady stuff haha. We used to be able to take home new games and play them, and then bring them back in and re-shrink wrap them and sell them as new.
At my place of employment, they always told us to report EVERYONE making unreasonable or unusual requests, even higher up managers.
I'm down in Jacksonville FL, and I remember back when Rhino games was a thing, and the one gaming shop in the mall was Electronics Boutique. Rhino turned into EB, Electronics Boutique turned into EB Games, then all of the EB Games turned into Gamestops.
We had an Electronic Boutique's in Maryland back in the early 90's and it had great customer service and a staff that would tell you not waste your money on something.
Good story. I worked at one of the GameStop’s that he returned one of those Dreamcast two with games at River point Plaza in Chicago Illinois I was third key when it happened.
That is why i NEVER pre order, buy any protection or ANYTHING recommended by the employees.
15:50 Electronics Boutique started in the states. Their first store was actually in the King of Prussia mall right near me.
It's always fun to hear about behind the scenes stuff at game stop and seeing how incompetent corporate is, but these stories sound like the same ones he talked about on RTU. Was hoping for something new.
We had Electronic B’s in OKC back in the 90’s.... ahhh the memories 👍🏽
They should close some of their stores and make a small stores as pickup zones for online & instores preorders and to sell merchinse like pops,tshits,console accessories.
It use to be the same in the US. First we had Electronic Boutique, then it became EB Games, and then finally they were all renamed Gamestop.
We had EB Games in the States too. That's where I got Tales of Symphonia for Gamecube on Day 1. I remember EB Games had full size Standees of Star Craft Ghost, and faux Star Craft Ghost boxes for pre-order.
These were good stories. It's hard to think that this stuff is always happening.
Funny I actually used to go to an EB store in the mall in my area from like 1990-2006 and never heard of gamestops till the mid 2000s ( 2008 or later maybe). Such a great store.
Gamestop was called EBGames and Electronics Botique in the US during the 90s and early 2000's as well, at least in the northern states I lived in.
I used to go to Electronic Boutique back when it was called Electronic Boutique over here in Michigan...they definitely weren't just a Canadian thing, even though we're kind of close to Canada
Here in NY, it was Walden Software then Electronics Boutique then (and still) Gamestop. The real profit is in the preowned games and (back then) the magazines.
We had EB Games here in the states too before they were taken over by Gamestop. I can honestly say that EB was a much better shopping experience for me than Gamestop has ever been!
I remember seeing- not even "EB Games" but just "Electronics Boutique" stores when I was a kid.
My local GameStop has awesome employees and it sucks they gotta endure this kind of treatment. Thanks for the upload!
Electronics Boutique was in the US. It was Games and Gadgets first, then EBGames. I remember Babbage's (where I first saw a Neo-Geo AVS). I lost track when Gamestop came onto the scene.
I remember back in the day we had both EB and GameStop and a funcoland all in the same mall in Hayward, CA
We had Electronics Boutique here in the states, then became EB Games and then GameStop.
Can really relate to this. I worked in a Game store for years. My boss was always doing dodgy stuff with refunds. Also we were constantly pressured into up-selling stuff people didn't want. Overall though my experience of working there was largely positive. Met some really great people
I tried to get a job at Game Stop many times. From what I hear about friends that managed to get it and youtube testimonies... I'm so glad I never got it.
In the mid to late 90s we had EB Games here in the states before GameStop bought them and Funcoland out. I spent a lot of time at one my friend worked at. I mind as well have been a part timer employee there.
I am so glad you put it to the District manager, Screw the people who take "Authority" and make themselves gods...
my favorite game store back in the day was Gamecrazy. It was great. The employees were so laid back and just really cool people. They would let you test any game and would never pressure anyone to pre order anything.
During the 90's in the states EB Games was known as Electronic Boutique too, Gamestop didn't exist until 1999.
Gamestop was Electronics Boutique (EB) in New Jersey up until about 15 years ago.
All Gamestops around my area would only hire part-time (at 20 hrs.) They would only have 2-3 full-time workers (basically managers, keys.) and over 15 part-timers. It was impossible to get hired, and when my friends were hired they never got any hours. Not a huge fan of their business practice either. As much as I dislike digital, I disliked going into that place for more than a look much much more.
Its irritating being a huge fan of games to the point where I'll talk to their employees for over 30 minutes when I go in there just out of passion, still never get a job, and then see all of the passion leave my friends who had worked there.
We had Electronics Boutique here in the states in the 90s in my hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas.
The mall in my Savannah had a EB Games and GameStop still to this day.
At Ontario Mills in Ontario, California they used to have an Electronics Boutique which turned into a EB Games and then into a Gamestop
I worked at a Compucentre which was a Hartco owned brand and I remember a customer blasting myself and the other employees for not knowing in advance that Sega would discontinue the Dreamcast. Retail is hell.
I used to be a store manager for Funcoland and it was definitely the start of what these guys do now. I think it was way better in the nineties because the incentives for customer and employee was a win win but this shit today is crazy and the monetary value of trades is ridiculous.
I remember electronics boutique was here in New Jersey, those were great times.
We had Electronics Boutique in the US and a gamestore known exclusively as EB Games.
My first job was at an Electronics Boutique in Boston. We never had Gamestop until the bought EB out. So EB wasn't just a Canadian thing.
"Bob" is a dochebag I worked at Egghead when they first started when they were Egghead Discount Software before it was ever called NewEgg I actually started in backroom resealing and stocking worked up to sales and eventually setup new stores and then even Regional Office. Employees use to get tons of DEMO software and even hardware. I loved it for my 2nd job
Damn! David took down Goliath with a pre-order!! ROFL. That's priceless!
I still have a Mad Catz RF cable for PS2 from like 2004, still works.