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GameStop Eats EB

by Michael Cole - April 18, 2005, 5:36 pm EDT
Total comments: 27 Source: GamesIndustry.biz

GameStop reveals its plans to buy merge with Electronics Boutique to make one huge retail chain.

GameStop and EB, known as bitter retail rivals, are putting down their weapons and joining forces. GameStop will purchase all outstanding shares of EB at $55.18, turning the retail chain and maker of Game Informer Magazine into a $4 billion-a-year company with 3,800 stores worldwide.

Analysts underline that this deal will mostly affect hardcore gamers, as GameStop and EB are the only two major retail chains focused exclusively on games. The merged company will own about 21 percent of the video game retail market—comparable to Wal-mart.

Talkback

raptorspikeApril 18, 2005

Well, if they form as their new "unit" under gamestop's name and policies, I will NEVER shop their again

NinGurl69 *hugglesApril 18, 2005

I agree.

BloodworthDaniel Bloodworth, Staff AlumnusApril 18, 2005

Huh, I've actually had better experiences at GameStop than EB.

Karl Castaneda #2April 18, 2005

Same here. I've had powerful bad experiences at EB Games.

DjunknownApril 18, 2005

If there's one thing I learned in when in retail, the store's only as good as its employees and management.

There's tons of Gamestop's around my area. I've shopped at one particular store in the mall the moment I got my 'Cube back in December 2001. They had good staff, made honest suggestions of what games/accessories to buy, and were never too pushy. Almost needless to say, they had my business for a while.

But something happened. Whether it was sudden management change, or all the employees went elsewhere, their quality tanked. The staff was obnoxious, disrespectful, and had to audicity to push their promotions. I remember going in picking up Icewind Dale (since I'm a fan of Baldur's Gate type games), and the employee, said something like "Dude, you why you're playing that? Its sooo dated..." He rang me up, and tried to sell me some Gameinformer. I don't know where the manager was at that point, but I never visted that establishment again.

In an odd twist, there was a Gamestop right across the street. The one in the mall was known as Babbages (good times, good times), and the one across the street was a FuncoLand. I gave them a try, and oddly enough, some of the employees from the mall worked there. Once again, I was graced with good service, so good that they finally sold me a subsciption to Game Informer. But quicker than you can say "Trade-in", new management came in and service rock-bottemed.

There aren't too many Ebgames in my immediate metro-area. I stumbled a newly built one around spring 2k4, and walked in to see what its like. They just about waited on me hand and foot. I found my sweet spot. I still get great service to this day.

I still frequent there today, without few complaints. The only two I have are A)Weak trade-in prices B) They get a little pushy when I go to the register. Considering my other option, the strengths far outweigh the weaknesess.

NOW, about the topic at hand, this merger scares me. Its bad enough that on paper, they're basically twins. But at least there was an option. GameStop put a 'stop' to all the mom-and-pop gamer-shops in my area.

Quote

Karl says: Unfortunately, with less competition in the used/trade-in games market, this will probably mean you'll get less money for games you trade in as well as paying more for used games. Hopefully the lack of risk won't go to GameStop's head.


Wishful thinking I'm afraid. Aside from the hobby-shops who might have a gamespace (and give you a better deal), There's no reason for them to be fair. Nobody else does what they do on a national-scale. You're almost better off keeping your old games and hawk them on Ebay, sell them to a friend, etc.

nickmitchApril 18, 2005

This is why I still go to Toys 'R' Us.
The R Zone aren't nearly as incompetant.

Grant10kApril 18, 2005

It's why I go to Wallmart, half the time they know nothing about video games, but they don't lie to you either.
I'll take incompetance over magazine sales, pre-orders, magical psp's, incopetance, and EB losers any day. (he tried to convince me that UMD is "the" way to watch movies)

GamecubeguyApril 18, 2005

Wal mart is hellish, ebgames (atleast mine) is really good, and toysrus is really good aswell. They have a good stock of games, and the people don't ask me anything, but will try their hardest to help if I ask.

If you're lucky you have a decent small-store you can patronize that knows games/anime and is honest. Unfortunately, I have the dumb luck of always going there right after they sell what I wanted. So then I go to Best Buy. Same deal: horrible service but they aren't going to judge/sway your tastes.

matt ozApril 18, 2005

I'm surprised it wasn't EA that bought EBGames or Gamestop. Could you imagine? One step closer to video game world domination...

Hostile CreationApril 18, 2005

As much as I loathe EB games, this can't be good news.

I forget where I get my games. Gameware or the internet, it depends.
Or wal-mart tpg.gif

Shift KeyApril 18, 2005

Quote

Originally posted by: matt oz
I'm surprised it wasn't EA that bought EBGames or Gamestop. Could you imagine?


Ssssh, EA hears all tpg.gif

WuTangTurtleApril 18, 2005

We better destroy this thread NOW! lol

nitsu niflheimApril 19, 2005

Funny sounding to me is that last time I read about EB and Gamestop, EB was larger and was worth more on Wall Street. This is just as odd to me as K-Mart announced it was buying Sears. I actually order more from Gamestop.com that EBgames.com because I don't have to pay sales tax at Gamestop.com. But now that a actually Gamestop has moved in like 5 miles away from where I live, I can just hop in my care when I feel a need come over me and see if they have something I want. EBgames I have to go way out of my way.

KDR_11kApril 19, 2005

This news is about on par with the fictional headline "Eidos buys Acclaim". Seriously, if you combine s##t with s##t all you get is stacked s##t. EB was overpriced and incompetent anyway, they should be dissolved. Toys'r'us is overpriced as well. I'd only buy at Karstadt or Media Markt (or Saturn, same company) but since we don't have a Karstadt nearby I'm buying only from Media Markt.

The OmenApril 19, 2005

Quote

Quote
Originally posted by: matt oz
I'm surprised it wasn't EA that bought EBGames or Gamestop. Could you imagine?



Ssssh, EA hears all


face-icon-small-happy.gif

ThePermApril 20, 2005

KDR? There are Toy's R Us in germany? face-icon-small-tongue.gif

Berto2KApril 20, 2005

If there is a GameCrazy in any of your areas may want to check that out. It is a part of Hollywod Video. They provide the same services (buy, rent, sell games).

KDR_11kApril 21, 2005

ThePerm: Well, yes. Pretty much every US company is trying to spill over the rest of the world. Not always sucessful, though. While McD has a huge foothold Walmart is being eaten alive by Aldi and Kaufland.

WuTangTurtleApril 23, 2005

Walmart is the devil, hooray for germans!

Here in the U.S. Walmarts destroy malls, and mom and pop shops, I've heard of many towns forcing away new locations from being built.

RobageejamminApril 23, 2005

god im totally turned off by EB lately. What really killed me though was the last time i went there. Some parent and kid came in to buy a ds and ds games. As a response this really loud annoying woman behind the register says not to buy the ds because when the psp comes out then eeeveryones gonna forget about it. With my fanboy rage building I had to say something but she just kept talking over me so that didnt work out very well face-icon-small-tongue.gif. I dont even think they ended up buying the ds too.

Don'tHate742April 24, 2005

You know what the best part of this news is? It doesn't affect me at all face-icon-small-smile.gif.

KDR_11kApril 25, 2005

Could it be that employees are trying to make people preorder the unreleased stuff instead of buying the released wares because they need to fill their preorder quotas? Smart move with that, EB, making your employees scare people off purchases in order to get their quota up!

Kamek_XMay 02, 2005

Gamestop is a new addition to our town in direct competition of EBGames. Now that I hear this . It's kinda of silly because they are in progress in making a second EBGames in our town. Its silly because it is in the same proximity of Gamestop. Which practically almost across from each other. Like directly across the street. This was already in progress of being built and now set up before this news broke out. Now I wonder whats going to happen if they are merging.

Kamek_XMay 02, 2005

Gamestop is a new addition to our town in direct competition of EBGames. Now that I hear this . It's kinda of silly because they are in progress in making a second EBGames in our town. Its silly because it is in the same proximity of Gamestop. Which practically almost across from each other. Like directly across the street. This was already in progress of being built and now set up before this news broke out. Now I wonder whats going to happen if they are merging.

ThePermMay 02, 2005

Some body smacked you with the double post stick

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorMay 03, 2005

>Here in the U.S. Walmarts destroy malls, and mom and pop shops, I've heard of many towns forcing away new locations from being built.

I believe what you meant to say was "Here in the U.S., the customers that choose to shop at Wal-Mart cause the destruction of malls, and mom and pop shops."

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