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Rising Game Sales Reveal Trends?
Thanks to Smartmoney.com for their report into GameStop's second-quarter financial results, which revealed "a 31% surge in videogame software sales", although a drop from last year's hardware-discounted highs, and "better-than-expected performance in stores." According to the report, "...the company said videogame-software sales were 'very strong' for the quarter, with leading titles such as 'Enter The Matrix' from Atari Inc., 'NBA Street: Volume 2' and 'NCAA Football 2004' from Electronic Arts Inc. and 'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic' from LucasArts." Most interestingly, GameStop indicated they're expecting "...further hardware price reductions 'or similar promotional activities' during the third quarter", a move that may include the rumored $99 GameCube price drop which IGN Cube are confidently predicting for the end of September.
Well, good. This IS the same Gamestop that informed the regional, district, and store managers that they would be required to cut hours as lean as possible for the end of the second quarter, right? Our store was given a number of 'grid hours' calculated against sales, and we were informed that we had to come in 15 hours UNDER grid to satisfy the shareholders.
Thankfully, we now see that sales were on an upsurge. Good thing none of that income will make it down to the employees making minimum wage. Their once-yearly evaluations in March were designed specifically to prevent any employee from getting more than fifteen cents more per hour, and some managers were told not to allow anyone performing merely 'adequately' to get ANY raise at ALL.
To hell with Gamestop. When EB moves into town I'll be the first one jumping ship. The writing was on the wall when Gamestop bought the failure that was Funcoland and then adopted their horrid policies.