Game On — Local services in Kearney

Let me start by saying this: The staff at this store are genuinely kind, helpful, and enthusiastic. Especially the “manager” (and yes, I put that in quotes because the owner barely lets him manage anything).

The real problem with this business lies squarely with the owner, who serves as a textbook example of what happens when greed and ego override passion and community values. This is someone who clearly puts the customer experience as dead last in his priority list while making personal profit (not business profit) as first, second, and third priority.

Prices here are laughably inflated. Both sealed product and used sit untouched on shelves for months or even years because he’d rather hoard them at absurd prices than set them fairly and keep the community engaged. Trading in products? Expect to be insulted by the offers.

He routinely keeps promotional items meant for customers either by pretending the store isn’t participating or simply never mentioning the promotion at all. He even lies to his staff about promotional product not being available when it's been seen as received by others.

But the most egregious part? How he treats his employees. Tim, the manager, is a standout human being. Knowledgeable, passionate, and clearly someone who wants the store to succeed. He tries his best to support customers and create a great experience, but he’s exhausted. Why? Because he’s chronically understaffed, (not because people "don't want to work" but because they can make 35% more standing idle behind a cash register with much less responsibility anywhere else in town) stretched between multiple stores, and paid a pittance to basically run two stores with product everywhere because no one can afford to buy half of it. Now, he's opening a third location in Hastings which Tim will likely also be expected to run without any additional benefits, milage, vehicle wear-and-tear compensation, or anything.

The owner, on the other hand, is nothing more than a hustler who got lucky with a state-funded grant and a co-founder that was passionate about the products they were selling and the hobbies they are meant to support. Since then, he’s pushed out the original co-founder (who actually cared about the gaming community and made the store a place people wanted to be) and turned the whole operation into a cash-grab "empire." He fancies himself some kind of small-town Grant Cardone—a real estate mogul or entrepreneur type—and just like Cardone, all he’s done is drain value from the communities he plants his flag in adding very little value to those that patron them but maximizing profit.

This isn’t a game store run by someone who loves games or gaming culture. It’s a storefront run by someone who loves money and exploiting as many as possible to make himself, not the people that work for him,...

My original review vanished shortly after the owner replied. So, I felt compelled to write another:

The staff at this store, especially Tim, the manager, are kind, helpful, and genuinely care about the games and the community. Unfortunately, they’re stuck working under an owner whose actions show little to no regard for customers, employees, or the long-term health of nourishing a community in the store.

Prices are heavily inflated both from trade-in product and items bought from vendors exclusively to sell at much lower costs . Product sits untouched for months or even years because the owner would rather hoard them than price them fairly. Trade-in offers are low to the point of being insulting, and promotional items meant for customers are often kept or quietly withheld without explanation. Staff are sometimes misled about whether promos were even received.

Worse still is how employees are treated. Tim is effectively running multiple stores on his own, with no extra support, mileage reimbursement, or meaningful compensation. He’s overworked and underpaid, making far less than what others earn at basic retail jobs in the same town when calculated for the hours he puts in while working. Meanwhile, the owner doesn’t even live in the area but pays his staff so little that they can’t afford to support themselves on their own in the community, all while profiting from price gouging and expansion.

The original co-founder who built this store had a real passion for the gaming community. The other founder is more focused on squeezing every possible dollar of profit for himself first, then second, then leaves just enough to keep this location (and the other locations outside of his local store) on life support. It;s shameful that he'd do that rather than fostering a welcoming, sustainable player base. It feels less like a game store and more like a side hustle dressed up in community branding.

The passion and dedication of the local staff, especially Tim, used to be enough to make coming here worthwhile. Now, Tim is so overworked that he can't even feign enjoyment and I can no longer support a business that chooses to price gouge the community at higher prices than anywhere around (including online) but can't support their staff. If the owner paid them fairly, it may...

Yeah, the recent reviews calling this place a mess are spot on.

Prices here are just bad. Both for stuff they’re selling and what they offer in trades. I get that businesses need to make money, but considering this place has next to no staff in all of their locations and they are paid poorly this is scummy and goes overboard, especially when they’re getting their stuff from trades or dealers. If they’re trying to squeeze every penny, but not paying employees fairly or having prize support at their events, the owner’s the only one winning here. Not to mention, he lives hours away in a small town that costs next to nothing to live in while his employees barely get by.

There’s a bunch of product just sitting around, but staff can’t even sell it without getting permission first, which is wild. And the events? They keep scheduling them at the exact same time as other stores. Once or twice is whatever but this happens all the time. They’re trying to force people to choose their store over others but at the end of the day do nothing of value to entice players to go there on a regular basis. Their events have no prize support, and the vibe isn’t welcoming if you’re looking for a regular spot to play because every time you turn around there's another thing being done to push local players away. So honestly, why would anyone stick around?

Between the pricing, the way the staff and players are treated, and all the dumb choices being made, it’s just not a place I want to support. If another shop opened up with the same stuff but fair prices or even the same prices but better paid staff, I’d make it a point to spend money there. I have no problem supporting a local business if that business supports a community. This business does not....