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GameStop buys EB
Dram writes "Business Week, among others, is reporting that GameStop will buy Electronics Boutique for $1.4 billion. Hopefully this will allow both chains to better compete with Wal-Mart and Best Buy for our gaming dollars."
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Hopefully this will allow both chains to better compete with Wal-Mart and Best Buy for our gaming dollars.
I don't understand, both GameStop and EB suffer from varying degrees of suckiness. I've had to deal with enough crap from both stores to wish they'd just go out of business altogether.
While Walmart and Best Buy might not be all that great either, they are ALWAYS, WITHOUT EXCEPTION cheaper or equal in pricing to GameStop/EB for new games.
Used games are a different story, but when I see games that retail new for $19.99 selling for $17.99 used, or $49.99 games selling for $44.99 used, I feel like you're a sucker for buying used games there (this intarweb thing works pretty well for that). On top of which is the fact that you won't get more than $5 cash/store credit for selling that $49.99 game that they turn around and sell for $44.99. Bastards.
Mod me a troll if you must, but I doubt I'm the only one with these complaints.
why? forty-two.
In this case, though, the idea is valid. EB, Gamestop, and the rest of the specialty retailers are getting creamed by Walmart, Target, Kmart, Toys R Us, Best Buy, and the rest of the superstores. I can't specify numbers, but one could ignore the specialty retailers and still have quite healthy sales.
In other words, EB / Gamestop / etc aren't competing with eachother, they're competing with the superstores. And they're losing. And they're in danger of disappearing.
I've not been terribly happy with EB in the past 10 years, and their employees have been legendarily unhappy with corporate policies. I would much rather Funco have taken over EB, and not the reverse. But Funco was even more of a specialty store, catering to the used NES game crowd.
In my not-so-humble opinion, EB / Gamespot need to work on getting more space, bigger aisles, and not cluttering their stores like they were libraries. Their stores are an intimidating wall of noise, noise which continues inside. Even if they're not going to go full Apple store sleek, they should at least go Suncoast. Simplifying their inventory might be a first step. I don't see how it would be possible for EB to reduce service any, short of slapping every customer that walks in the door. But reducing the noise and helping people to find good games (recommended section?) should be their first steps.
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