Beginning of the end for GAME?

[Chindie]

277 store closures. 2104 job losses.

One of them's me. 4 others are some good guys I work with. 1 of thems a prick I work with.

I feel a little sorry for those in the stores still open. The changes to things we'll be able to do (no refunds, returns or exchanges at all, no use of store credit, no use of loyaty points) are going to cause aggro country over with... ahem... unhappy customers. I've had to deal with a slightly upset customer, and suffice to say I would not be able to maintain decorum with some people when they find out this news. Certainly not when I knew chances are I'd have no job soon anyway.

[BOF]

The one thing that will make your life easier while you're still there Chindie is that when you get an angry customer you don't have to toe the company line any more. You can just tell the customer the reality of the situation and sympathise with them in a way that you wouldn't have been able to do before now. That way they won't vent their anger at you, it'll be both of you against the company.

[Chindie]

I won't have that problem at all BOF - my store is shut, no more customers! The guys in today got a call at around noon telling them to just close.

My manager has asked me to go in for 6 hours tomorrow, presumably to pack the place up.

Where I to be on tills tomorrow serving as usual, I'd have carried on doing what I have been for the last couple of weeks, I've dropped all the crap I hated having to do at the tills with various loyaty cards and trade in reminders. But I know I'd end up dealing with angry customers.

I told the only angry customer I ever had to deal with the reality of the situation (his loyalty card was a duff one, sometimes happens, they don't swipe and the system requires swipe authorisation to use the loyalty balance, effectively it stops people coming up to the till and saying they're Joe Bloggs and would like to us the £X on the card). Unfortunately the man was an absolutely hateful scum sucking prick of a being, and decided he could swear and threaten and generally treat me and other staff members like shit, throwing things at us, insulting us, throwing things off the till, to the point I lost any sense of trying to help the man, let my manager take over, lost my temper entirely on walking away from the till at how **** angry this mans attitude had made me, and as I walked out back and up stairs shouted '**** word removed!' at the top of my lungs almost involuntarily, he had made me quite so angy.

He later trashed the shop a little more, poured beer over the PSP section. I apologised to my manager, who told me not to worry too much, as did the assistant manager at the time, who said he was surprised I'd lasted as long as I had and that the guy deserved it. The bloke did all of this in front of his clearly unsettled partner, his increasingly upset young daughter, in a small store full of Christmas shoppers and children.

Funnily enough that moment, on Christmas Eve, was the moment at which I decided I didn't want to work in retail much longer - a lot of people you encounter are utterly despicable beings who decide that you are not worthy of even the slightest slither of common human decency simply because you're wearing a uniform.

I ain't proud I lost my cool with that guy. I know that that would happen again though, because I've no temper for people who cannot at least be polite and reasonable and understand that the people across the till, are just that, people, and generally they want to help you, because helping you is the easiest thing to do. But sometimes things stop that. In the coming days, Game and Gamestation staff are going to face that type of customer time and again, and I feel a little sorry for them. Theres been some talk of it happening already.

(To be fair to the chap who drove me over the retail decorum edge, he came in a couple of months later and asked to speak to the staff member he'd upset. I wasn't there. He apologised profusely to my manager and asked that he say he was sorry to me. At the time, I couldn't have cared less if he'd have dropped dead in front of me).

[Chindie]

I suppose for balance I should also say that I've always been really happy to help people in my job at Gamestation, and I only made sops to the upselling we were supposed to do because I had to. And you do get some good customers. We had a lot of regulars who were all sound and would pop in for a chat sometimes. Most of them have been in this week and wished us luck, used up their cards and left happy.

I've also had 4 or 5 customers go out of their way to tell my manager how happy they were to be served by me, and a few of them have come back because of that. It was always nice when someone would leave the till after I'd served them and stopby the management that day on the way out to say I'd done good by them.

[Dodgyknees]

Hope you are ok Chindie. Have to say, you've always been awesome for Games advice on here DS/3DS/Vita questions all answered hope you find something you enjoy more than that.

[Juju]

I wonder if all those people who liked to browse at the bigger and second hand selection at Game, and trade in their duff games, before buying discounted at Tesco's or Amazon online, can make the intellectual link between receiving no customer service and no shop to browse through, and the cheaper prices they paid.

The cost of any product, at any shop, is only reflective of the service and overheads. When our high streets are empty of everything excpet charity shops and estate agents, and we have no where to go for that last minute spur of the minute present, perhaps then, people will realise they should have supported their local retailer, as thats what they have lost. The games market is worth billions, theres no way that a well run shop/chain/brand like game should shut down. It does seem that it's the shareprice rather than anything else thats done it, on the basis of bad news from suppliers. Well, here's the news. All those people who can't now buy at a store, now have to get product online instead. And if you are going online, why wait for the postman, when you can download the product. And if you can download it, why pay for it when its free? I don't think the human mind can get round the idea of owning something they don't physically posess. Suppliers who refused to supply Game on reasonable terms will not shift more product, their actions were short sighted and self defeating.

Whils't I have no particular love for Game, I think the high St is the poorer without them, simply as there are so few credible alternatives.

[Chindie]

Hope you are ok Chindie. Have to say, you've always been awesome for Games advice on here DS/3DS/Vita questions all answered hope you find something you enjoy more than that.

Cheers.

I'll be OK. I'm worried about being out of the job despite not liking it all that much (I've no problem with manning a till, I just never liked the upsell stuff and knew customers didn't either, so did it largely half arsed, and the rest of the job was basically store admin, stock processing and the like, and helping the customers. Really, really sound bunch of guys to work with too, I'll miss the banter) and it paid terribly and the contract was rubbish, I was looking to leave anyway, but I'd rather have left with something else to go into.

Glad to have helped people. I like helping people, and I love gaming.

Dunno where I go from here. Gonna think about having a while to just think where to go from here.

[Chindie]

While I agree somewhat with Juju that the games market will suffer in the UK with Game Group gone (I think someone will fill the void, if I'm honest though, it's a difficult market but you could make a decent profit from a well run games retailer in the UK), Game Groups problem was in part caused because it wasn't well run. Management **** up in some key areas. They exacerbated problems that came to pass in the last couple of years that were out of their hands, increased competition that they couldn't compete with, poor online, idiotic expansion, etc etc.

Gamestation staff, especially those who have been there a while, will feel particularly aggrieved - the company has been killed by Game, not vice versa.

[briggaman]

I wonder if all those people who liked to browse at the bigger and second hand selection at Game, and trade in their duff games, before buying discounted at Tesco's or Amazon online, can make the intellectual link between receiving no customer service and no shop to browse through, and the cheaper prices they paid.

The cost of any product, at any shop, is only reflective of the service and overheads. When our high streets are empty of everything excpet charity shops and estate agents, and we have no where to go for that last minute spur of the minute present, perhaps then, people will realise they should have supported their local retailer, as thats what they have lost. The games market is worth billions, theres no way that a well run shop/chain/brand like game should shut down. It does seem that it's the shareprice rather than anything else thats done it, on the basis of bad news from suppliers. Well, here's the news. All those people who can't now buy at a store, now have to get product online instead. And if you are going online, why wait for the postman, when you can download the product. And if you can download it, why pay for it when its free? I don't think the human mind can get round the idea of owning something they don't physically posess. Suppliers who refused to supply Game on reasonable terms will not shift more product, their actions were short sighted and self defeating.

Whils't I have no particular love for Game, I think the high St is the poorer without them, simply as there are so few credible alternatives.

What point are you trying to make here? That we should be happy to be ripped off because it's on the high street? I can see what you are trying to get at and I will miss having a place to browse at games. I personally preferred Gamestation to Game, so it is more of a shame that this will be closing. I rarely purchased them instore though as places like Amazon are generally cheaper. I'm quite happy to purchase online if it means saving a lot of money.

I feel no pity for Game as a company. I do however feel pity for those losing their jobs over this, due to the greed of the company. My job is ending in April and I know how this feels. Not a nice situation to be in at all.

Hope you get sorted Chindie and that this doesn't hit you too hard in the long run.

[GarethRDR]

My manager has asked me to go in for 6 hours tomorrow, presumably to pack the place up.

Nick everything you can logistically/morally get away with.

[Chindie]

That's been joked about

[Juju]

What point are you trying to make here? That we should be happy to be ripped off because it's on the high street?

Why does paying say, RRP, on a product from a company which provides you with the additional services of being local, convenient, immediate in delivery of product, and with other benefits such as the ability to browse, equate to being "ripped off?". That Amazon don't have to pay for 600+ shops, business rates and for staff there to meet your immediate needs, means they can ultimately deliver product more cheaply. Tesco's will cream off the big sellers, but won't ever stock those low volume or niche products. In both senses, they can afford to sell more cheaply, because, and the point I made was, they don't offer a competitive service, only a price competitive service.

Oh, and who's paying Chindie's benefits? We are, through increased taxation, as Amazon, registered in Luxembourg won't be.

The problem is seeing that anyhting other than "cheapest" means "ripped off". Well, here's news buddy, your 1kg bag of oven chips are cheaper than a small bag down the chippy. Is the chippy "ripping you off?" When you buy a bike from CRC or Wiggle, they can't service the thing in 3m time, or will be able to do you an instant repair, so you go to the local bike shop. His prices are largely rrp as well, but he also has staff, business rates and a shop to maintain. He isn't "ripping you off", by charging more for the product than can be got elsewhere, its just the "mix" of benefits he can provide are less obvious, and price is less important in his "mix".

Its the same with bike retailing, book selling, computer games and many FMCG's (fast moving consumer goods), that online are taking a big slice of the action by "price sensitive" consumers, who can't see that their shopping habits are ultimately harmful to the character of High St's and of retailing generally.

[briggaman]

I'll go where I can get a product cheaper and if that's online then so be it. I think most people would do the same thing...

[GarethRDR]

That's been joked about

'Joked-properly-joked' or 'joked-but-it's-a-totally-happening-thing-joked'?

I furnished my first flat with such shenanigans, but then my moral compass is stuck on evil.

[Chindie]

That's been joked about

'Joked-properly-joked' or 'joked-but-it's-a-totally-happening-thing-joked'?

I furnished my first flat with such shenanigans, but then my moral compass is stuck on evil.

Just joked.

[VillaGoMarching]

My manager has asked me to go in for 6 hours tomorrow, presumably to pack the place up.

Nick everything you can logistically/morally get away with.

Agreed

[Juju]

I'll go where I can get a product cheaper and if that's online then so be it. I think most people would do the same thing...

Thats fine, until there is no more offline. And when that happens, what do you think willhappen with prices. Humans are fantastic at "short termism".

Now, I appreciate, perhaps as a yoof, and hardcore gamer, you might have a "certain"perspective - you are both familiar with on line, are actually "on line", and perhaps have less disposable. But if you look at the typical Game store on a saturday, it's not just people like you.

The next time you have a birthday, and your favourite uncle gives you a crappy present, its because he may have forgotten til the last minute, and when he went to buy you something, there was no where to buy it.

Same with any parents who are buying the kid their first console, or young kids who "can't" shop on line. Anyone canwalk into game with a tenner and get something, even s/hand, but who under 16/18 can buy online without a paypal/bank account?

Do you think your high St is poorer without a games shop? Or without all the music shops that went bust? Or that some of the 2.8m unemployed are ex woolies/zavvi/game staff?

What frigtens me, is this appears the future of physical retail, and soon High st's will be dead urban spaces, simply as the likes of AMazon, Play simply occupy the far corner of some industrial unit hundreds of miles away. When you spend your £, you make the choice.

Me, I no longer shop online unless it's totally neccessary, simply as I know what retail future I want.

[Dodgyknees]

So, in Newport on the IoW, we have lost Millets, Adams, Game (checked, it has gone), Bon Marche, Peacocks and a few other stores in less than 2 years.

Don't come live over here guys, it is dead.

[Ginko]

Me, I no longer shop online unless it's totally neccessary, simply as I know what retail future I want.

Good for you. However, with the economy the way that it is, some people have to scrimp and save as much as they can so they're really not thinking about the future of the high street.

I suppose one possible outcome from all this could be that with less physical stores around, online shopping will become even more popular than it is now, meaning that more online companies could be set up which will create jobs.

[briggaman]

Juju, I found your post above very condescending to be honest. Calling me a 'yoof' and assuming that I'm a child when I'm infact 27 years old and earn my own income. I won't be told how to spend my cash and if I can save in any way then I will. We don't all have disposable income that we can throw away on things that are more expensive. If I can get something cheaper then I will.

Fair enough if you're willing to pay anywhere between £5-15 (sometimes a little less and sometimes a little higher) more for the same item, yet I don't know many people that would even entertain that idea.