Christmas Shopping At GameStop? Reconsider.

"Power to the players."

GameStop has always branded itself as a company by gamers, for the gamers. They offer rewards programs, buy your games back when you're done with them, and even give you a refund if you don't like the game you just bought (assuming it's pre-owned). In theory, it should rule the game-retail world and have no competition.

So why does the company itself generally catch so much hate? From its dissatisfied customers, online reviewers, stock shareholders, and even its own employees, this company seems to be on a steady decline in terms of reputation and service.

Real quick, here's the hierarchy so you can keep up with who I'm talking about:

Game Advisor<Senior Game Advisor<Assistant Store Leader<Store Leader<District Leader<Region Leader

Well, after spending five years of my life in one of the more successful stores as an Assistant Store Leader, I think I have can provide fair and (mostly) non-biased reasons. So get on your scuba gear and dive in with me while we discuss the sinking ship that is GameStop.

The Beginning Of The End

When I first started working at good ol' GS, the CEO was one Paul Raines. A man who was dedicated firmly to the idea of "protecting the family". As an employee, this meant that the company was dedicated to providing fair pay, a safe and comfortable working environment, and trusting its associates to make ethical calls. Honestly, it was a great work environment when I started. Sure, like most retail jobs we had a rewards program to offer with each transaction, so that could get tedious but I was in the video game business. How awesome right?

Right?

2016 marked the downfall of the video game-driven atmosphere as GameStop had shelled out millions upon millions to acquire multiple companies throughout the last 4 years. I imagine the idea was to corner the multimedia market and run competitors out of business. Unfortunately, the opposite effect occurred when the company lost millions of dollars on purchasing locked iPhones and tablets. That year also saw the announcement of a large move to the digital market in the world of gaming with Microsoft's Game Pass and other digital marketplace incentives. With an almost 17% drop in sales, the panic began to set in.

GameStop Corporate began implementing policies to try and stem the tide of the lost revenue by implementing their "circle of life" protocol within stores. This was a software system that tracked every individual's performance in regards to pre-owned sales (their money maker), trade percentage, game/system warranty sales, reward card signups (which I'll refer to as PUR from here on out), and customer satisfaction metrics. They then implemented the "My GameStop" initiative. This gave management staff in each individual store the authority to make executive decisions regarding policies in order to provide a better experience for customers (or keep their money by retaining the customer no matter what) and put the success and failures of the company on the shoulders of the stores themselves.

Now, for an average employee, this meant showing up to work and logging in to check all the lofty goals set for their store on the computer. Any stores that failed to meet their metrics were met with disciplinary action from the district leaders. Weekly conference calls would take place and the most common discussion revolved around metrics and accountability. I would often hear higher-ups make statements like "Remind your staff that they need a paycheck to support their families. If they want that paycheck, they better meet their trade goals or you need to find someone who can.". These types of passive fear tactics created an environment of desperation and even dishonesty amongst the employees for fear of losing their job. How can they influence if someone decides to bring in a box of games to sell that day? Yet when confronted with these questions, higher-ups would simply respond with "Well, it is YOUR GameStop so it is up to you to see its success.".

Now by this point, you may be thinking "Well you SHOULD be meeting your metrics. It's your job to succeed." and you're absolutely right. However, an employee and a manager must be given the tools by their corporation to build a successful business and cultivate a trend of success. Unfortunately in 2017, CEO Paul Raines stepped down from his position due to health reasons. And that my friends became the "iceberg" to GameStop's Titanic. In the years that followed, no one in stores really had a sense of who was running the company. We defaulted to the leadership of our "Region Leaders" which resulted in misinformation, confusion, and anarchy. For me, this is where things get a little personal so I will try and simply state things as I witnessed them and how they affected me directly.

First, though, I want to present you with a scenario. You're hungry. You see that there's a BBQ restaurant down the street with a sign that says "We Know BBQ" so you load up the car and head in with the family. The owner walks up and welcomes you and asks what you would like. You say "What's your favorite thing to eat on the menu?". You're then met with an awkward gaze before the manager says "Oh...I don't eat here. I'm vegan. I don't eat meat. I think it's wrong."

Well, that was GameStop in 2017. Our new Region Leader came through the door to meet us. For the sake of privacy, we'll call him Mr. Clown. Well, Mr. Clown shook my hand and complimented me on the cleanliness of the store. So, looking for the opportunity to get to know my new "top dog boss", I asked Mr. Clown what his favorite game is. "What are you playing right now Mr. Clown?" He kept looking around the store and chuckled to himself. "I don't play video games. I'm a grown man. Let's talk about why you haven't met your PRP (warranty) metrics in two weeks."

This was the man that represented the Company on the highest level for store interaction. I was later told by my DL that nobody he knew in corporate knew anything about video games or gamers. Mr. Clown then proceeds to gather my employees and make an announcement. With the launch of the Switch that year, units were in HIGH DEMAND but short supply. GameStop had managed to secure a large shipment. To him, this was an opportunity for profit. We were given strict instructions that we were not to sell a single unit to anyone unless they purchased FIVE additional Nintendo brand items. I spoke up and said "Mr. Clown, Best Buy is right down the road. They'll just go there and buy them." to which his response was "Well tell them good luck and don't let the door hit ya." and we all stood shocked. Given the system that tracked our metrics, any employee who didn't abide by this extortionist policy would be disciplined. We did what we could for the customers. I even started keeping $3 Nintendo screen protectors behind the register and would just tell people to buy some of those to make the "bundle" but most people were infuriated at the idea that we had the only systems in town and were forcing them to spend extra money for the "privilege" of buying one right before the holidays. What if we didn't have any cheap accessories and the customer couldn't afford to buy 5 games with it?

"Too bad, so sad" says Mr. Clown.

The next two years went by in an increasingly hostile fashion. I watched as veteran managers were terminated and replaced with people they could pay lower salaries to. The company then shifted to hourly for all Store Leaders so they could avoid the minimum salary requirements as set by FLSA. Store Leaders were forced to work overtime to compensate for the loss in their salary wages and lost their vacation/personal time as a result. They even implemented a policy to add warranties to purchases without telling customers just to make an extra profit until they got called out on social media for it.

Still with me? We're close to the end of my experience now. It's now in 2019. My Store Leader is gone to the annual management conference with every other leader in the company leaving me in charge of the store. Everything runs as smooth as it can and a few days later my SL comes back. He comes back mad. This man had spent THIRTEEN years with this company. He's responsible for the monumental success of two separate stores. He's also just found out that he's one of the lowest-paid managers in the company. At the conference, a group of Store Leaders discussed how much they each made with one another. Which by the way is protected by the National Labor Relations Act and no company may implement a policy against discussing your wages with a coworker of equal employment and status. That's important, remember that. Well, my friends that made Mr. Clown a very angry clown indeed. Stores promptly received an email stating that it was a violation of company policy to discuss wages, and ANY employee found to be doing so would be terminated. He was out for blood.

This email didn't sit well with me for a multitude of reasons. First, it was illegal to imply a policy existed against discussing wages. Second, retaliation by the termination of employment is harassment. So I went to my District Leader and asked to see the policy in the handbook that stated we couldn't discuss wages. I cannot stress enough when I use the phrase "Deer in headlights" because he knew I was on the move. I was known as the "HR guy" amongst my peers and I was TICKED OFF. He spent the next few minutes randomly clicking through the handbook before sweatily saying "I'll have to ask HR, I can't find it." as he pulls out his phone and text the HR Director. Not five minutes pass by and he receives the reply "No Policy". My district leader looked at me and said "I guess there's no policy Jon." and that was all I needed to start my fight for a better workplace.

Unfortunately, that fight never happened. Mr. Clown caught wind of the conversation and two days later I'm pulled into the back office with Loss Prevention on the phone. They told me I had been "anonymously reported" for violating company policy. They pulled up a transaction from November of 2018 where I had returned an item without use of receipt and given a store credit (My GameStop right?). I sat on the phone for four hours and filed an eight-page report. By the end of the call, my District Leader and the Loss Prevention officer said they saw no ill-conduct and wouldn't seek restitution. I would have to take a two-day probationary period as was policy after any Loss Prevention investigation and then they'd call me. Turned in my keys on the way out as was policy. An hour later I get the phone call that I was being let go. I was also refused a reason why besides "Mr. Clown believes you violated a company policy."

One week later the District Leader, Human Resources Director, and Loss Prevention officer that had been a part of my termination were also let go. Mr. Clown transferred to a new region safe and sound.

So when someone says "Should I go to GameStop?" my answer is "If you want to support a company that knows nothing about its product, cares nothing for the employees that support it, and will do anything to get your last dollar, then sure. Make that mistake." This is a company that cares about putting on a fake face through their charity partnerships and use micromanagement and scare tactics on their employees. As the digital age becomes more and more accessible, GameStop loses more of its leverage and becomes more and more feral to its employees. It's time to let this ship go down and watch the rats jump off to save themselves. Shop digital from now on. Support the companies that make the games you love.

Sincerely,

A non-biased ex-Assistant Store Leader for one of the worst companies in America