GameStop Credit cards - This will not go well

[EricKei]

http://uproxx.com/gammasquad/2014/07...xploit-gamers/

I and a number of my friends are former (and, for a few, current) wage-slaves and store-level management at the 'Stop. We are having a merry old time standing around with our mouths agape at a dick move of this magnitude. We're also pondering what the people at store level will have to put up with, including being called "lazy" and having their jobs threatened by Corporate (GS makes it abundantly clear that EVERYBODY at store level is eminently disposable - so glad I haven't worked there in many years).

I figured their thinking is, "Let's put out a credit card with an extortionate interest rate and market it to young people! Colleges have been doing it for decades and nobody's complained they haven't listened to any complaints! It must be AWESOME! Let's DO IT!"

What. The everloving. FUCK.

What do you guys think?

[Sarah Valentine]

3 words: total fucking disaster. I can see this bullshit crashing and burning soon after it starts.

[patiokitty]

They own EB Games up where I am...I can see this being rolled out here soon enough. Fools and their money shall soon be parted. And then freaking out when they get the credit card bill.

[EricKei]

GS and EB merged...I wanna say a decade or more ago, I think; when I still worked there. Generally speaking, they renamed most EBG's as GS, and left others unchanged if it was really close to a GS (as in, right across the street, or in the same mall, or a "one store in the mall and another up at street level" -- note that *all* of these situations are present in some regions), rather than just closing whichever one had crappier sales and merging the staffs into an expanded store.

The inevitable backlash against the workers who are forced to go along with this aside, I dislike it because it's downright predatory, just like the "sign up for a credit card and get a free t-shirt" booths that tend to spawn in colleges -- we had plenty of those back in the 90's (and yes, I fell for one or two x.x)

[Greenday]

I dislike it because it's downright predatory, just like the "sign up for a credit card and get a free t-shirt" booths that tend to spawn in colleges -- we had plenty of those back in the 90's (and yes, I fell for one or two x.x)

Papa Johns did it every year at school as a promotion with some credit card company. "Sign up for Credit Card X and get a free 2 topping large pizza!"

The place was mobbed every year. Morons.

[Dreamstalker]

Am I correct in assuming where the article says that any Rewards members will be approved, it's regardless of credit score? That should go over well (I'm curious if this means a minor will be able to sign up and does not need a cosigner). How difficult would the card be to cancel if someone wants to?

I finance most if not all of my GS purchases via trades (and gift cards), and try to keep a tight rein on my expenditures (seeing as I don't yet have that dream job that will let me build the gaming cave I want). The absolute LAST thing I need is a credit card to put them on.

[EricKei]

Unclear. However, with the bottom-barrel interest rate on display, I would presume so. That is the sort of rate you normally default to when you just haven't bothered to make a payment at all for 6 months >_>

Still need to be 18 or above to form a legal contract, though, at least in the US. Hopefully the cashiers will either be trained to be careful about whom they offer the things to (which will hurt their numbers, and get them yelled at by Corporate), or do the common sense thing and use discretion of their own accord.

[Dreamstalker]

I got the pitch the other day. It was touted as a store charge card (which it is, assuming it can only be used at GS stores) "If you want to buy a game and you're $10 or $15 short you can put it on the card!" The benefits are highlighted on the glossy bit of the brochure and I doubt many people will read the pages of fine print.

...thanks but no thanks. I'm not a hardcore gamer who buys every FPS ever. Zelda, Pokemon, Minecraft, maybe other franchises as the mood strikes or something looks intriguing. I finance my purchases with mainly trades/offers and if I can get gift cards with CC/survey rewards points I do that. The Powerup points are tempting, but do I really need another hit on my credit report and another card to worry about? No.

[Gravekeeper]

EB went to complete shit after GS bought them. But they keep the EB Games name in Canada far as I know in a feeble attempt to hide their true evil. I use to quite like the EB near me. Staff was great, they were all gamers and knew what they were talking about. They would recommend for ( or against! <gasp> ) titles based on genre, etc.

Well, Gamestop wouldn't have any of that. The store was slowly transformed from a gaming store that catered to everything to a console / used game / toy depot. The floor staff were replaced with cute girls that knew nothing whatsoever ( Cus gamers never get to talk to cute girls! They'll love it! ) and it slowly de-evolved into a parody of itself. Then they crammed the store full of so much extra shit its impossible to get around the store if there are more than 3 other people in it. Because no aisle is wide enough for more than one person.

I've only gone there once in recent memory because I foolishly thought hey I picked up a cheap PS3 recently may as well see if there's anything in their used games. Its slow as shit trying to buy anything there because the entire thing is designed to waste as much of your time as possible so they can upsell you this ridiculous list of offers and "extended warranties".

ALL of the games in the store. All of them. Are empty boxes. The discs are removed, put in paper sleeves and stored in drawers behind the cash register. So anything you buy you need to wait for a few minutes for the poor clerk to find to begin with and all the time they have to rattle through this 5 page sales pitch about A) Their membership card crap B) Extended service warranties on whatever you are buying no matter what it is and C) Whatever the featured gimmick products are this week ( Would you like to be a DVD resurfacer? ).

Even better since the last time I was there they changed the store layout so the cashiers are in an island in the center of the store instead of along the wall. So now the line up can jam up both sides of the store. While both cashiers have to constantly stick their heads between each other legs to get to the drawers with the game discs. But half the alphabet is on one side beneath one cashier and the other half is on the other side beneath the other cashier.

Anyone who works at an EB or Gamestop, you have my complete and utter sympathy.

As for this credit card: A) Holy shit is that evil and B) But honestly not that surprising given the company.

[cindybubbles]

Bad, yes, but not uncommon. I've seen store credit cards and (gasp!) store MasterCards and Visas. At least the MasterCards and Visas let you shop everywhere else, thus forcing the store to pay their competitors!

If they offer a GameStop Mastercard or Visa, go for it. Then go buy your games at a competing store, like Best Buy or Wal-Mart. You will have to pay them back eventually, but imagining them squirm while they pay off their competitors would be worth it, I think.

I should also let you know that they once had a promotion where if you bought $50.00 worth of stuff or more, they'd give you a contest card. I fell for that and bought a $50.00 iTunes gift card, and then I got the contest card. No win there.

[gremcint]

Where I work does offer a store credit card but the only time it comes up is when someone asks about layaway or deferred payments and we are not requried to push them at all, thank god.

[Dreamstalker]

More reading of the fine print:

No online payment option, you can only mail payments in.
I've never heard of the issuing bank.
You can use it at other stores, but only when the issuing bank says so and the ones that they choose.
This line in the dispute section: "If we determine that we have made a mistake/not followed our policies"...of course they're not going to make a mistake (or if they do, in theory the policy could be changed just long enough for them to point to it and say 'see we didn't screw up').
The Paypal-esque arbitration clause (giving up any rights to sue or join a class action if something goes really wrong)
26.xx% APR? Hells no. My existing cards have much lower rates.

[s_stabeler]

to be fair, I ahve been getting offers for credit cards with a 30% APR PROMINENTLY displayed recently- aka, they think I'll think that cheap. (I'm pretty sure my credit report is just about empty, which is probably why i'm getting high-rate offers, but come on. I could get an unauthorised overdraft from my bank for less than that. ( seriously- the unauthorised overdraft rate on my bank account was 22% last time I checked (which was a couple months ago)

[EricKei]

Just a useful resource for those of us in 'MURRICA (fuck yeah!): If you don't wanna receive "pre-screened/pre-approved" offers for credit cards/insurance in general -- including via snail mail and email, instructions from the FTC on how to opt out of these programs can be found here.

It's free, it's no harder than DNC signup (you can choose 5 year, or permanent opt-outs) -- and hey, it works. I've been on it for several years now; just like DNC, after a month or so, the offers just stop coming. Plus, hey, CC vendors don't wanna waste money on brochures and postage sending out solicitations to people who will never sign up, so it's a win-win ^_^

Yes, I noticed that this is a webpage that includes the words "If you don't have access to the Internet..." -- I'm guessing this was originally a paper document that they put up online.

[Kaylyn]

My husband is a former GameStop assistant manager. I told him about this and he sighed and said "yeah, it takes forever to get out of there now while they do their spiel about reserves, magazine subscriptions, credit card, survey, and trade-ins. I suggested printing up a flyer that explained we're regulars and keep on top of our reserves, already have the subscription, are DEFINITELY NOT INTERESTED in the credit card, and know about the surveys and trade-ins already.

His response was better. "I'm bringing a controller next time and when they start talking, I'm going to mash the X button repeatedly. When they ask what I'm doing, I'm gonna mutter something about unskippable NPC dialogue."