Working At GameStop: Employee Reviews and Culture (2024)

Pros of working at GameStop

Friendly employees and the opportunity to bond with customers over shared interests

Cons of working at GameStop

The pay is horrible. You’re a cog in a machine for corporate.

GameStop Benefits

Being in the loop with hot titles and products

Pros of working at GameStop

the people

Cons of working at GameStop

cleaning

GameStop Benefits

everything. i like everything it is a great place. the people are good and we all get along well.

Pros of working at GameStop

Working with and leading/developing a strong store team. Creating a great customer experience and resolving customer issues.

Cons of working at GameStop

Very little opportunity to retain talent. Compared to other sales jobs, wages are nowhere near competitive.

GameStop Benefits

Getting to work with exciting products that people enjoy.

Pros of working at GameStop

It was fun.

Cons of working at GameStop

Unorganized, low pay, not enough hours.

GameStop Benefits

You get a discount off games.

Pros of working at GameStop

Quick ability to earn experience under good management.

Cons of working at GameStop

Pay leaves something to be desired.

GameStop Benefits

I appreciate the incorporation of customer service with retail experience.

Pros of working at GameStop

Great atmosphere, amazing coworkers.

Cons of working at GameStop

Risk of catching covid

GameStop Benefits

Employee discount

Pros of working at GameStop

Good work and life balance

Cons of working at GameStop

Wanted more job security and need more money

GameStop Benefits

Discounts

Pros of working at GameStop

I love the people I work with and I love working with games.

Cons of working at GameStop

Extremely low hours

GameStop Benefits

Discounts

Pros of working at GameStop

The environment was very calm and welcoming. My coworkers were very easy to work with and the work was pretty simple but kept me busy.

Cons of working at GameStop

There wasn’t a lot of room for creativity and occasionally customers were a little difficult.

GameStop Benefits

Discounts on video games.

Pros of working at GameStop

Working with guests and having excellent co-workers; it's a fast-paced environment and very enjoyable.

Cons of working at GameStop

At times, lack of communication from upper management, and a lack of hours during the holiday season.

GameStop Benefits

Employee discounts on products and being compensated for mileage when we needed to deliver products to other stores or making bank deposits.

Pros of working at GameStop

The staff and the unlimited access to games

Cons of working at GameStop

Lack of support from upper management. Pressure to sell memberships and unequal pay to responsibility ratio.

GameStop Benefits

Employee discounts and game access.

Pros of working at GameStop

Being around an industry I love and enjoy.

Cons of working at GameStop

The way the company treats their employees overall plus the way they expect you to do more with less.

GameStop Benefits

The discount

Pros of working at GameStop

the people i worked with

Cons of working at GameStop

the low pay despite position in company

GameStop Benefits

just getting to meet all kinds of people was very nice

Pros of working at GameStop

People trusted me and I don’t know if this makes sense, but it made me feel good about myself.

Cons of working at GameStop

My manager was stealing from the job

GameStop Benefits

I got to learn about the job through a hands on experience, where I learn the best.

Pros of working at GameStop

Coworkers and boss were friendly and good work environment

Cons of working at GameStop

Company has regulations that are not necessary

GameStop Benefits

Health benefits and discounts

Pros of working at GameStop

Co workers & the gaming culture

Cons of working at GameStop

Disconnected corporate in a company going bankrupt.

GameStop Benefits

Renting games

Pros of working at GameStop

The fellow work employees

Cons of working at GameStop

The pay was too low and hours were too small

GameStop Benefits

The friendships and marketing

Pros of working at GameStop

You can meet a lot of great people.

Cons of working at GameStop

Low pay compared to other companies.

GameStop Benefits

Free video games.

A reddit user wrote a review on Apr 2018

Id take some vacation time, honestly. I take a week every 2-3 months and it restores me. Also, dont answer phone calls or work related questions if you arent scheduled- this has helped me immensely. As SL/ASL, its our job to train our staff on what we expect and the behaviors/ how to do the job. Once youve done that, its on them if they cant handle it. Once I decided to not take others failure to do the job personally, it got a lot better for me. The problem is, the people that make these decisions arent in stores at all; theyre not Cochran, whos in stores for extended periods of time every month. They should be taking care of the employees, not the stockholders. Our stock prices could be so much higher if we actually had proper staffing/real equipment. I get so much product that I cannot sell for the life of me, because it doesnt fit for my area. And Im annoyed that were consistently told preowned is the lifeblood of our business and the differentiator between us and the competition, but the new accessory planogram moved all preowned product to the very bottom of the sections. There are multiple studies that show product needs to be eye height or slightly below to sell, not at the very bottom by the floor. Let us decide how the planograms work for our stores. Bring back that portion of MyGamestop, while still upholding the needs for numbers and goals. After all, I know my store better than anyone above me ever will because Im here 40 hours a week

You take a week every 2-3 months? I don't have enough coverage the longest I've had was 5 days when I went out of town before that was like a year before that when I took 4 days off.

A reddit user wrote a review on Apr 2018

I was an assistant manager. I chose to leave for several reasons. The company is doing what it can to survive (pushing into collectibles), which it cannot be blamed for as a business. The methods and behavior being exerted top down into the store level, however, can and should be criticized. GameStop is unwilling to provide the support that stores need to meet the sales and operational standards it expects at all times. It is inconsistent and ineffective at driving new initiatives, creating situations where stores spend (arguably) excessive time and effort addressing, readdressing, and sometimes rereaddressing issues that come about from those initiatives. I believe that the company's upper management is aware of and depends on a large applicant pool (due to GS's hobby nature) to combat turnover, resulting in insufficiently trained staff, and staff that may not be qualified. In short, the company is attempting to course correct for the issues its facing as a business, but it does so often with poorly formed, inconsistent, wasteful, patchwork upon patchwork initiatives. Or so I saw. There are other concerns I had and have, but those are the core ones. I loved the underlying work, and I still continue thinking about it. As has been mentioned often by those that felt the same, it was the top-down practices that eventually compelled me to leave. Had there been appropriate support, I would have stayed, even if it meant sacrificing the improved pay, benefits, etc i'm experiencing now.

Its funny that you mention the turn over rate = poorly trained staff. I left my last job for that reason. I worked at a specialized residential school working with severely assaultive adolescents and over the years the turn over rated created immense ethical and legal issues and it got soooo bad that I did not feel safe going to work everyday. Ive been st gamestop for three years now and the quality of staffing in my store has dropped. My SL is one of the best and my ASL knows his *** but beyond the three of us its pretty bad; and we are a bigger store. We are also not nearly as bad off as other stores in our district. I feel like the revolving door has become detrimental to the operation in our district to the point where my SL has started applying to other places of business.

A reddit user wrote a review on Apr 2018

The big problem I saw is that all the issues voiced fell on deaf ears. The pleas for change will never be heard or acted upon by those with the power to make said changes. u/GSVirtue hit it on the head, that GameStop will always have a massive talent pool to hire from, even though the applicants may not have the right skills to succeed. Because of that, they can afford to turn a blind eye to the problems of their experts, and eventually will lose their skilled staff. As for what to do next, that's up to you. Just understand that being committed to a leadership position, understanding your business, dealing with constant change, and working in an extremely varied customer service setting, these are traits and experience that other positions at other organizations actually value. You've been asked to pitch both high demand and unsellable products. The next step may be to learn the best way of pitching those skills and sell yourself. Not in the hooker way.

Blockbuster felt this way too.....there will be a day when most games go digital and accessories and pop figures wont pay the bills alone. Youve got to get the right people to form a great culture in the company. Something special to keep the customers coming back. GameStop will always have a massive talent pool to hire from, even though the applicants may not have the right skills to succeed. Because of that, they can afford to turn a blind eye to the problems of their experts, and eventually will lose their skilled staff.

A reddit user wrote a review on Jan 2018

When a customer asked for my phone number I panicked and said I didn't have a phone, while my phone was right there in my pocket. Besides the few annoying guys my store has been pretty good with not treating my female coworkers and I any different than the male employees. If I know my *** then usually the customers have no problems as long as someone's helping them

Isn't it funny what excuses we come up with to avoid awkward situations lol

A reddit user wrote a review on Jan 2018

I think Im one of the unicorns here who really doesnt have to deal with jack *** from creepers, and Ive been here 3 years. I also rarely get passed over for a dude coworker, and the only time I get asked weather or not I play is by the non-gamer Mom/sister/girlfriend while the dude stands by mortified. Only thing that really ever stood out as creepy was one dude who kept asking me out until I hid in the back, but he was high off his *** and then asked out my bear of a male coworker lmao

Well, that's lucky! It's nice to be able to have circ*mstances where you don't experience any of that.

A reddit user wrote a review on Jan 2018

The other day, some guy came in and hit on my female coworker through me. "She's beautiful man, is she accounted for?" "How can you work with someone with an *** that big man?" I don't know, I felt genuinely uncomfortable for her. I can hardly tell when people hit on my female coworkers, but when I do, I really don't know how to react to it.

Tell them to talk to them themselves and have her speak on her behalf! haha

A reddit user wrote a review on Jan 2018

I've had several customers give me their number and ask me out on the clock which is just... no. I've also had several customers interrupt me mid sentence and ask for a male co workers opinion, despite said co worker not knowing as much about the subject

I don't mind people asking for my number. I take it is a big compliment. I do however, loathe when it is a big group of guys who have been in the store for a bit and one anxiously approaches and says "haha my friend haha wants your haha phone number haha". 1) if you really want my phone number just say it. 2) if your friend really wants my phone number he needs to man up and ask himself 3) none of you are getting my phone number because I'm in a committed relationship and not looking at all.

A reddit user wrote a review on Jul 2017

It's a trap don't do it! Lol it a a retail job first and foremost man... video games is honestly the smallest part of the job... good luck though!

What do you mean it's a small part of the job? Lol what else do you do there

A reddit user wrote a review on May 2017

Does anyone ever hit on you?

Yes, it happened all the time. There were super cringy moments and the employees that I had or the people that were my managers were always very protective of me. I had people say, thanks for my pre-order, maybe we play it together later at my place? Lol stuff like that happened every other day or so.

A reddit user wrote a review on May 2017

Which items do you wish GameStop carried? And what are some things Customers would often ask for that GameStop doesn't carry?

I had always wished that we would carry birthday cards or boxes because people always asked for these things that we simply did not have.

A reddit user wrote a review on May 2017

Most commonly asked question by GameStop Customers?

From the Core customers we would get gaming questions like if a game was good or not. From the random customers we would get that were not regulars, we would get more policy questions like if they were able to return an item or not.

A reddit user wrote a review on May 2017

What are the true perceptions Of GameStop and the false perceptions?

True: Managers are underpaid and overworked, Working there is hard, You have to deal with angry customers often, you have to sell like a salesperson, and sometimes the management isn't good- it depends on the store or the district. False: Don't work there because it's a dumb job- this is completely untrue and you should work there if you need a job because you learn so much about so many different functions. At the end of the day, I now how to run a business from P&L statements, hiring/firing, shipping, advertisem*nts, and policies. GameStop is an evil company that is trying to steal all your games and your money- this is completely untrue and while they have made good and also bad decisions, they haven't necessarily gone out of their way to cheat you out of your stuff. GameStop gives too little money for your trades- I explained this a little bit previously GameStop is lying to you when they say that they don't have games in stock to sell you used products- there is an exception to every rule but in most cases, this is simply untrue. No one from GameStop is trying to hide new releases from you and in most cases they don't even have said new release used yet so stop getting your panties in a bunch because you refused to pre-order a popular game that you will just DIE if you don't get at this very moment. The truth is that we have to hold pre-orders for 48 hours so sometimes our system will say we have 20 in quantity of a title but really all 20 are pre-orders that we have already called and had some kind of conversation with to say that they are coming in. We can't sell you the pre-ordered copy until that time frame is complete

A reddit user wrote a review on May 2017

What did you learn about people from working at GameStop?

That some people are not looking out for your best interest and some people are. I actually moved on to American Express because my best friend from GameStop pushed me (aggressively) to apply and it ended up being the best decision of my life. While I had other coworkers who didn't want to own up to their own mistakes so they would blame others like myself or try to get me fired for things that they did (like steal). I learned a lot about the human condition and how people will do whatever they feel necessary if they think it will get them ahead, even if they hurt the people that advocated for their success. I also learned that bad attitudes and negative outlooks could be changed through good management and leading by example. There are a lot of invaluable lessons to be learned by managing a retail store.

A reddit user wrote a review on May 2017

How many people did you work with? And what were they like to work with?

I worked with over 40 people or so (aggregate) and I would say that 75% were awesome and I loved working with them while 20% were okay to work with and 5% were just the *** worst people in the world. I am still friends with most of the 75% and frequently visit the people that still work at GameStop. Funny thing is, a lot of GameStop employees heard that American Express was awesome so we have about 16 people that went from GameStop to American Express within a 5 year span. Two of my best friends ever who used to work at GameStop worked at American Express with me. I even got to sit next to one of them and everything so that was pretty awesome.

A reddit user wrote a review on May 2017

How many minutes are work breaks at GameStop?

It depends. As a Game Advisor (part time employee) you would get a small lunch break if you worked more than 4 hours and for Senior Game Advisors' (part time keyholders), Assistant Store Managers' (full-time keyholders but still hourly employees), and Store Managers' (full time salaried employees) it was basically the same. You would take a 30 minute break to eat lunch at some point when it was slow.

A reddit user wrote a review on May 2017

What is the creepiest interaction with a customer? And what is the funniest interaction?

Creepiest was when I was 16 and I had this 45 year old man say, "Are you from Tennessee? Cause you're the only ten I see...hehe...want to come for a ride in my car later?" and I was like yehno. and the funniest interaction...idk I had so many fun times at GameStop but probably when I had this one guy who got so upset that we couldn't return his PSN code (after being told this because we had to tell everyone at the time as we were selling them) that he threw the receipt and vowed to call corporate before storming out. A few minutes later I got a call from "Cindy" at corporate who is yelling at me and asking me why I didn't help the customer...lol it was just so funny because it was clearly fake and I just couldn't help but troll "Cindy" a bit.

A reddit user wrote a review on May 2017

What do you tell the person that wants to buy new games and gaming hardware from Walmart? What do you tell them to that GameStop is the better place?

I tell them that it's certainly their choice but that they won't get the same customer experience at a Walmart. When people came into my store, I'd know them by name and we would have a conversation- I wasn't there to sell them games, I was there to be their friend and try to help them make the best choices in game selection.

A reddit user wrote a review on May 2017

What is the busiest and slowest days of the week at GameStop?

Busiest days were always weekends- especially Saturdays and the slowest day was usually Mondays. We actually kept a calendar for schools by us as well because whenever school was out, we would have a large amount of customers throughout those days.

A reddit user wrote a review on May 2017

What was the most comment complaint from Customers?

Definitely that they weren't getting enough for their trade-ins. Which is frustrating to explain on a consistent basis. I'd go on ebay and physically show people what they could get for the same games and often it was only a few dollars off of what they could get at the stores. I explained depreciation as well as the convenience of being able to walk in, get money, walk out but people still gripe to this day with their, 'I brought a thousand games into GameStop and they offered me three-fiddy'.

A reddit user wrote a review on May 2017

It feels like gamestop prefers hiring good looking girls to attract costumers, is there any truth to that? Did you ever hire someone in your time there?

In my experience, it was a mixed bag. There were girls that were very knowledgeable and I liked those girls because I prided myself on knowing everything there was to know- it was my job and I took it very seriously. And then there were girls who were so stupid that it frustrated me because it made all of us look bad- it really depended on the manger and what they were looking for and sometimes what they could find. I did, in fact, hire quite a few people in my time and when I did, I can tell you that there was a rule where I had to hire one girl for every guy I hired in order to meet certain "guidelines". This was super difficult, in my experience, and I would have killed for a girl who had even a little bit of knowledge or someone who was willing to learn because there was an overabundance of men who knew what they were talking about. This was incredibly frustrating for me as an employee and one of my only grievances with the company because I think you should hire the right person for the job regardless of sex (which is technically what the law says) but in male-dominated genres companies have a hard time living up to said law without breaking it and specifically seeking out that sex.

A reddit user wrote a review on May 2017

What was the most soul-crushing part customer interaction you've ever had?

If there was ever a situation where I felt like the customer was right, I made the exceptions so I never really had a situation where I felt like I let someone down really hard or anything. Now as far as angry customers goes...I have pretty tough skin, that being said, people can be very callous and often they take out their frustration on you and I definitely had situations where the customer was being a huge *** *** and I've had to kick them out of the store. I can remember a few interactions dealing with brand new systems where people buy them and want to return them after opening them and it is something that we really couldn't do. I had a guy get so angry that he threw the system at me and I had to call the police because he threatened to kill me over it. But it's retail...stuff like that happened often enough - just not to that extreme.

A reddit user wrote a review on May 2017

Is it advantageous to the workers to sell used games? I bought a new copy of an older game and the used version was like $2 cheaper. It was worth it to me to spend the couple bucks on a brand new disc. The salesman REALLY tried to sell me the used version. When I thought about it later I wondered if the employees were pressed on selling used over new. I wouldve bought the used if I knew it would help them get corporate off their butt.

So GameStop employees do not work for commissions but the hourly employees can get hours based on performance- so in that aspect is it advantageous to them to sell you the used one. However, from the buyer's perspective it really depends. I think used is better as long as you get a good quality disk and the price difference is enough (its usually about 5 dollars difference + more if you have the poweruprewards card) and you can return the game if you don't like it within 7 days so it really gives you a cushion if you're not sure about the game. I can't tell you how many times I would see people buy a new game and come in a few days later to trade it in- when they could have purchased the used one and just returned it for whatever reason. Other than those reasons, it is personal preference and for areas that have trade hold (like my area in south florida) you may not be able to get a game that just came out used for at least a month and a half.

A reddit user wrote a review on May 2017

Which game release was the craziest/busiest time for the GameStop you worked? Did anything ridiculous happen? Lastly that 18ish year old picture of yourself is kinda cute, can i get a date with the 24 y/o version?

I worked at several stores (if my count is correct then I would say over 10 different stores) which ran the gamut between small store to high volume mall stores and I would say that the craziest release was always call of duty ( :( ). We did have ridiculous things happen - people would get really upset if they felt like someone was getting the game ahead of them or they would try to pick up the game when we were completely sold out and cause a huge scene. I've had people knock down gift card stands and scream, someone brought a gun to my store once because of a situation like this - there's literally nothing we could have done...we were genuinely sold out of the product. I've also had people come to the store wasted while drinking weird colored drinks out of red solo cups and throw up outside our store. One of my favorites was when a mother had her child in my store and she just pulled the kid's pants down and let him *** on the carpet...my assistant manager at the time ran over to her and forced her to clean it up because she tried to leave...lol As for your last question, while very flattering, will have to be a no as I do currently have a boyfriend. But we can certainly be friends and game if you play on pc :D

A reddit user wrote a review on May 2017

Did you enjoy working there?

I definitely think it was worth it to work there. When I hit store manager I was working a lot of hours and the work-life balance was really rough but it got me the opportunity to work with a lot of really cool people and progressed my career. If I hadn't worked at GameStop and become a Store Manager, then I wouldn't have had the opportunity to move on to American Express so all of the hard work that I put into it all paid me back tenfold.

A reddit user wrote a review on Aug 2014

I'm a guys who's looking in to working for GameStop at some point in the future and I have to ask some things what's the minimum age to work there ? websites say it's around 16 to 18 but I'm not sure. And also how easy/difficult was it to get a job there?

Technically 16, but reality it would probably be 18. And it is very difficult to get a job there, we get about 10 people coming in a day turning in applications.

A reddit user wrote a review on Aug 2014

What is my best bet on getting a job there? I recently applied to a store that was hiring but I have yet to receive a call. This was maybe Sunday or Saturday.

Keep going in and asking for the "store manager" not the manager, you gotta say the "store manager" and talk to him.

A reddit user wrote a review on Aug 2014

I have always wondered this. Do most employees at gamestop play a lot of video games, or is it just another retail job?

All of us at my store play a lot.

A reddit user wrote a review on Aug 2014

you guys are still in business? HOLY ***! you outlived blockbuster,.... how?

You haven't noticed all of the exclusive pre-order deals, etc that gamestop gets? They've done a pretty good job of making themselves the place to go to to pick up physical games.

A reddit user wrote a review on Aug 2014

Do you have an obligation to advise people to buy the most popular games or are you free to promote whatever game you want to the customers? If so, do you often promote games less popular that you personally liked?

We promote verbally whatever games we want. A slightly unknown/unpopular game that I always recommend is Heavy Rain. You would be surprised how little of people know about that game, and it is only like $15.

A reddit user wrote a review on Aug 2014

I called GameStop and they said September was the prime time to apply for a job. How many highschoolers does GameStop casually hire? I need a job to put gas in the tank, but i I can only work weekends and after 3:00am weekdays (school) what are my chances? *do you sell Battletoads Gold Edition for the Nintendo 3DS?*

Very unlikely. We say 16, but mostly you get hired if you are 18. You gotta go in basically every day and talk to the "Store Manager". Don't ask for manager, because the 3rd key or ASM can claim that if they are the only ones working. Good luck!

A reddit user wrote a review on Aug 2014

why are vidya games released on tuesdays? do you guys get them that morning or monday? or even earlier?

Historically (most) media [CD,DVD,VHS,etc] has released on Tuesdays, as sales figures are released Mondays. This allows for a whole week of sales data, also one last day for next-day shipments or delayed shipments (happens very often). Gaming Industry adopted this practice. Nintendo is the unicorn of the bunch, as they have typically released on Sundays.

A reddit user wrote a review on Aug 2014

How many people have asked you for Battletoads?

I got my first battletoads call about a month ago. I yell to my boss that i finally felt "initiated" when I got it.