"Prototype" GameStop Store Spotted

Okay, so we've all had our issues with GameStop in the past, but perhaps all they really need to regain our attention is a complete and total cosmetic overhaul. And apparently, according to one NeoGAF poster, that day is fast approaching.

If you want a sneak peek at one of GameStop's "prototype" stores, check out these pics and details from poster Feep at NeoGAF. This is one hell of an impressive update, as this huge new GameStop featured 18 separate demo kiosks, high-definition touch-screen displays that allow you to browse the store's inventory, and a better overall quality of construction ("wood inlaid counters," for instance). More high-def TVs near the front of the store were showing off the newest releases on the shelves, and they even had a special four-person set-up that would allow consumers to test out the PSP and DS. As you can see by the pictures, this is most certainly not the GameStop we're all used to, and it could be exactly the dose of freshness that retailer needs. After all, considering the industry has grown a great deal in the past 10 or 15 years, why should GameStops still look the way they did 10-15 years ago? It's only common sense. That look reminds us more of a commonly bigger store like Best Buy or Borders, and although it's only a "prototype," we're gonna be on the lookout for those around our area.

If we do see one, it might actually get us to go into that store more often. In direct comparison to what we see here, the current GameStop is as boring as the whitest of white bread. They definitely need to spice things up, so hopefully, the idea catches on.

12/22/2008 Ben Dutka

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Comments (41 posts)

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Shatterday
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 10:58:14 AM
Reply

Thats... cool I guess.

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slayerkillemall
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 11:08:13 AM
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hopefully other retailers will follow suit....

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whooka
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 11:08:54 AM
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Well, with the current economy and gamespot's reputation for cheapness I can't see them building too many new stores like this in the near future. My biggest grip with gamespot is, at least the one in my area, never has any new PS3 releases in stock the first week unless you have pre-ordered one, which makes it clear they are trying to save costs by initially stocking only copies they know they will sell. I used to reserve games there if I knew I wanted the title but then realized the Big K right across the street always has new PS3 titles in stock so I just go there now and don't worry about the pre-order. When it comes to purchasing a game the part-time, high-school (no offense) gamestop staff are not part of my decision making process, I just read a load of different reviews on the web and then decide if I'm going to buy it or not (since Sony isn't that big on getting demos out fast on the PSN). So basically I just need a point-of-sale and no actual saleperson.

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crapreviews
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 11:13:08 AM
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ok they are testing the store in some small area of FL that i never heard of and they talk about if the new store design does well they will make more of them.

Umm hello? does anyone not see something wrong? I mean if you want to test a new store to see if people like it, why not do it in a major city that has tons of people to see it. NYC would have been nice lol.

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 11:26:03 AM

Er...I would consider Gainesville a major city.

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crapreviews
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 11:42:36 AM

sorry i just never heard of them. I saw the guy said "go gators", so im guessing that's where they are from? i know the gators team and they good too

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Robochic
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 11:21:04 AM
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I live in Canada and i wish our ebgames would be this big, their are a few that are but not close to me the ones in the mall are so damn small during the busy season you can't even walk in without banging into something or someone.

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Naga
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 11:34:57 AM
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Gamestop do what GAME Cannot

I hope thier is a Gamestop like this in Northern Ireland

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noshownogo
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 11:58:04 AM
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looks a bit Japanese in design, very kool indeed. Will visit next time in the US...hopefully their employee's raging obsession with Xbox has also been upgraded.

Last edited by noshownogo on 12/22/2008 11:58:44 AM

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PSN _HAITIAN_JB
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 11:59:06 AM
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F@ck! Gamestop i remember i went to gamestop pre-oder Socom Confrontation, lady looked at me and asking me do i want it for 360 lol then i'm like yeah i want it for 360 just to F with them then i told her when the comes out i better have my copy for 360 2 days later store called me said sir you were pre-ordered SC for 360 but this game will not going to be on 360 "YET NOT UNTIL NEXT YEAR" lol i'm like what are you moron it sony only game have you ever seen a MS dev make games for ps3, Gamestop at Northeast Philadelphia Mall they morons,since then walmart is the best way for me lol.

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MetalHead09
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 2:04:09 PM

thats pretty funny. im lucky that my gamestop aint that bad. i dont go very often but when i do there is always someone there that knows what their talking about and most the time they favor ps3.

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Buckeyestar
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 12:37:05 PM
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My local Gamestops don't have anywhere nearly as much floor space as the store shown in the photos, so I'll likely never see this sort of design around here. My local shops have only 1/3 to 1/2 that much space.

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karneli lll
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 1:05:38 PM
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You can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig!

Last edited by karneli lll on 12/22/2008 1:12:02 PM

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shreevin
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 8:05:18 AM

Damn! I was going say that!

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BeezleDrop
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 1:32:13 PM
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Well played sir.

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WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 1:34:49 PM
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I still remember the days when there was competition among game sellers, now Gamestop pretty much bought them all up. Monopoly: no wonder they get along with M$.

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HOODGE
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 1:35:43 PM
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biggest problem with Gamestop/EB Games is they are all 360 fanboys who work at them..I'm from Canada, and here we have EB Games. They up Microsoft, and down Sony. Hell if I was the boss and heard my employees cost me Sony sales and even turned off loyal sony fans from shopping at my store, I'd have their big little mouths zipped shut and shipped off to work at McDonalds. I've heard them say such bad things to people who were Sony fans I would correct them in front of the customer and say that they know absolutely nothing about what they are saying and if they prefer to keep their jobs that they should change their attitudes...Horrible how they mislead and piss off customers for the crapbox. After all the garbage Microsoft has turned out in this industry, it's hard to beleive how loyal these idiots are..Or maybe they are just stupid. Total ignorance..Oh well most of them are kids..Microsoft being American may have something to do about that..Maybe Microsoft is paying them to act that way..Never know..Doesn't make sense for them not to try to sell their Sony stock as well..All I can say is I'm glad I own a PS3. Best console on the market. Games are way better too!!

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MetalHead09
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 2:05:58 PM

well said.

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moose88
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 3:52:21 PM

I'm in Melbourne, OZ and my local EB would take offence to your comment.

Although I am sure their are still stores filled with MS Loyalists out there, my EB guys would take a running ball-kick at MS and 360, given the chance.

Back on topic: I appreciate the way stores/businesses re-invent themselves (modernise?). The EBs in OZ have just had a face-lift and while a little too much white has been used in the paint tin (Apple decor much?), the freshness is appealing.

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Alienange
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 3:57:41 PM

We have Gamespot in Canada

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Reccaman18
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 9:17:48 PM

Not all the gamestops are like that. My friend works at one close to where I live, and that is the best one I have been to. Manager is super nice, the employees dont seem to have a problem with any console, and they dont make fun of anyone who prefers one console over another.

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somethingrandom
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 12:35:52 AM

@alienange
I have never seen a Gamestop in Canada, but we have plenty of EB Games stores around (owned by Gamestop).

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tlpn99
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 3:06:58 PM
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One day we may get shops like that in the UK, oh wait we do it's called PC World, damn expensive too, think I'll stick with Game and Gamestation plus the guys know me in there now lol.
Nice looking shop/store though!

Hey Ben if it all goes digital the store will close and become a Starbucks lol

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moose88
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 3:54:14 PM

R.I.P Starbucks ... R.I.P :'(

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WelcomeOblivion
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 3:18:35 PM
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the gamestop in the photos is a lot bigger than the one i go to

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Alienange
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 4:01:23 PM
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They'd have to be handing out gold bars at Gamespot to get me in there. What do they have or offer that BestBuy, Walmart or frackin' Zellers doesn't ??

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Buckeyestar
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 5:24:13 PM

Used games and trade-ins for unwanted games. Plus discounts on buying/selling used merchandise.

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Alienange
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 11:01:53 PM

Exactly. What's next, buying games at yard sales?

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karneli lll
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 6:09:03 PM
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you call selling a game for way less than half of its current market price a discount? i went to my local gamestop last week and found call of duty 5 (used) was $54 and a new copy of the same was $59, some discount.And to think,the person who sold that used call of duty 5 probably got like $20 for it.

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Reccaman18
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 9:18:53 PM

Its a huge ripoff, but thats how they make profit. But I hate it too.

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Alienange
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 11:03:44 PM

You said it karnelli III. The store's a joke.

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somethingrandom
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 12:42:35 AM
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I hate the practices they have in the stores. They have the game cases pre-opened without disc or manual on the shelf, then put them in when you buy. I personally prefer a game case that's still wrapped in plastic, especially because the last game I got from EB games was Battlefield: Bad Company, and it had a HUGE fingerprint smudged onto the entire radius of the disc. What kind of company would reasonably sell new discs with fingerprints all over them? Are they trying to break them in for me?

Last edited by somethingrandom on 12/23/2008 12:43:31 AM

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 12:47:52 AM

This is to prevent theft. And you should get an unopened new game unless the only copy they have left goes in the display box.

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Jed
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 10:21:12 PM

Ya, the only time you get an unwraped game is if it is the last one.

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shreevin
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 8:25:15 AM
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Well surprise, surprise! Gamestop has money to make mega-lo marts now. I guess the strategy of buying back games for a tenth of what they're worth then marking them back up to just below the price of a new one has paid off. I don't begrudge a business making a profit, that the whole point, but the amount of gouging! Come on!! I went there to sell back GTAIV two weeks after i bought it brand new because I finished it, played online for a bit, but was done with it. $19 bucks they offered!! $19 bucks for a two week old $60 game! Walked out and sold it on ebay for $42. Oh yeah, and as I was walking out I saw GTAIV on the shelf used for $54. That's almost a 300% markup!

Gamers are supposes to look out for gamers! That also plays into why fanboys suck.

Never again will I walk through their doors, no matter how pretty.

<whew! Guess I'm a little cranky this morning. Better go grab some coffee>

Last edited by shreevin on 12/23/2008 8:34:59 AM

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PS3_Wizard
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 9:07:55 AM
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Like I said in previous articles...I am currently an employee at Gamestop Corp. Ben hit the spot head on in the post above me. Also, some of you might get mad, but I feel like I should let you in on a company secret.

Being an employee, all of us have the authority to "Check out" a NEW or USED copy of games to play at home for 4 days (EDIT: when I say all of us, I mean the gamestop employees only. Not costumers). I've been working at GS for 3 months now and can personally say that I've never seen anyone check out a used copy of a game.

Yes, I have also taken home almost every PS3 game my store has to offer. But wouldn't you? I know its unethical and not all GS employees are as careful as me (some bring back the new games with minor scratches).

I can't say if this a big determining factor of why the "Gutting" of new games is allowed, but it is pretty damn suspicious. I NEVER touch the bottom of discs, but I do observe new hires and even the store manager gutting new games and holding them improperly.

My advice is that if the store you go to has no sealed copy of a game, and that all that remains is the display version, either don't buy it or ask if another store has it sealed.

P.S.
Ben, I think you should let the world know about the "employee 4 day check-out" policy. I took advantage of it myself, but I now feel bad. If more people knew about the history of what they thought as a 'NEW' product, then I think it will put them off from buying it.

Last edited by PS3_Wizard on 12/23/2008 9:13:35 AM

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shreevin
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 9:31:01 AM

Wait. I'm confused here because I've never purchased or even seen a "new" game that was unwrapped. Are you saying GS sells "new" games that way or do they reshrink wrap them? Am I a moron here or isn't it illegle to sell something as new when it's being opened? I used to work retail so I've seen the shrink wrap machines, but those products were sold as open-box.

And to you, PS3-Wizard, bravo for owning up. I wish all GS employees were as you are.

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PS3_Wizard
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 10:25:48 AM
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Thanks shreevin, but to clarify, out of every new batch of games one of them are opened and "gutted" to be placed on the sales floor. Gutting a game requires opening it, removing the disc and placing it in a small paper case and putting it behind the counter to prevent theft. The box is then placed on display for the guests to browse and read the back of the case.

Since new games require only 1 case to be placed on the sales floor, only 1 copy needs to be gutted. The rest of the same game(Ex. 5 LittleBigPlanets) are still placed behind the counter, but they are still factory sealed. When those 5 copies are gone, and someone buys the remaining display case, they are given the "gutted" copy (the game in the sleeve).

Now it would be ok, except most employees "check out" the gutted copy and take them home for 4 days and/or not all employees are careful not to touch the lens side of the disc when removing it. Their are guidelines to follow while checking out the games, like there can't be any scratches or abrasions, but most managers are all too forgiving over light damage.

Last edited by PS3_Wizard on 12/23/2008 10:27:41 AM

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Jed
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 10:26:00 PM

I get on to the people that I work with if they mishandle games like that.

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city96
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 5:46:49 PM
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thats bloody awesome the only shop in UK like that is Burton where thers a touchscreen IPOD type thing and you can choose the tracks that are played instead of buying clothes but one of those PSPs are gonna get nicked easily

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Jed
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 10:20:05 PM
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That is really cool. I hope it catches on. I wonder if they have any of those stores near me. I know that gamestop is run out of texas, so maybe I will see one some time soon.

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