Please forward to GameStop CEO,
Been to GameStop's all my life, bought many console launch systems from back to the N64 with Turok and Mario 64, to a PlayStation Pro with the Last Guardian, to my launch Switch with Breath of the Wild.
I used to love your stores, but over the last few decades they've deteriorated. Most are smelly, over crowded, flea market feeling, gross experiences.
Games, you know...the thing you sell? Where is the love? For those of us still buying our games physically; I don't appreciate buying a new game from your stores to see my game has already left shrink wrap; or buying used, and see game cases that look as though they were fished from a dumpster, or pricing and markdown stickers that when attempting to remove - destroy the case. This is your product, and it's not treated as such. So gross. You can do better.
The experience. Going to gamestop should be an adventure for the customer, should be gaming station kiosks that work, sanitizing stations for people to clean their hands, and playable games on display that I couldn't play or have access to otherwise. Demo's I can play at home are not going to get me in your store. What would get me in a store (and possibly a pre-order to boot) is an alpha version of the game prior to release! Why are you not making deals with publishers to get early access? "Come in and try the new Call of Duty or Assassins Creed one month before release" and while your at it get some pre-orders? Get the review copies media outlets get early and do the same thing. It's a win win for developers, publishers and your stores. A crowd of people waiting in line to play a new game 2 to 3 weeks before release? You don't think gamers would come? Pre launch event? Publishers wouldn't be interested in that pre-release buzz? You couldn't feature these events in Game Informer? Get cosplayers to show up for these events? Midnight launches are one thing, but seeing people stand with Master Chief or Mario in the middle of a mall taking selfies and posting to their social media weeks before major releases will drive traffic to your stores. It's about providing an experience I can't get anywhere else. Right now my experience is add item to cart and check my doorstep. You'll have to beat that.
Clean your stores, require proper hygiene for your employees. Have some standards for crying out loud. Don't bug me about pre-orders every time I buy anything or phone, treat me like a valued customer instead of a number.
Retro gaming. It's a thing, it's non existent in your stores. Where are the retro gaming consoles and kiosks? Or the new mini consoles? Why? Cause new stuff has higher profit margins? You're not interested in classic gamers? Collectors won't spend as much on an old system as they would new stuff? Maybe. Yet with that mindset you're telling me McDonald's won't sell Bigmac's because of the dollar menu. You're a gaming store, gaming has a long history, your sign says "GameStop", but it largely ignores retro gaming as being spotlight worthy.
Merchandise. Gamers like stuff from their favorite games. We like seeing our favorite characters from our games as keychains, backpacks, clothing, plush, toys, jewelry and figures. Yet we don't want crap. We don't want low effort garage sale fodder. While obviously higher end merchandise aligns with quality; but why stock stuff that obviously is of such low quality (regardless of its sales margin) if in the end gamers are not interested sheerly based on the items lack of quality, accuracy, charm, construction? Hire some potential customers to review your stock of merchandise pre-inventory purchase to determine if it's even something customers want. You appear to not do this, or the person(s) doing this work is severely out of touch to what gamers want.
Birthday parties for gamers. Parents rent out party rooms at movie theaters, jump gyms, and skate/bowling alleys. You mean to tell me you couldn't accommodate space in some of your stores that are big enough to perform this function? There are not empty unused mall storefronts you couldn't utilize to provide such? You have all the games, you don't mind opening them before you sell to customers anyway...why not provide an experience for Birthday gaming?
A true rewards program. The discounts and incentives currently provided are not enough, reward loyal customers better, or provide free club memberships if certain criteria are meet? Purchase more than 4 new games a year? 6-8 used? Bam free membership in rewards that in turn lead to free games, discounts, and vip status at events like PAX or on-line Q&A slack/Skype for Game Informer interviews your doing anyway? Developers wouldn't want that access to die hard fans!? I dunno...figure something out.
Your stores don't appear to value the quality of the products, my time, my purchases, my trade-ins, my experience, or my loyalty. Pick one or better pick all of them. Rapidly and majorly enact big sweeping changes, or continue to watch your stock continue to slide.
Good luck,
-Gamers (and this developer)
