GameStop — Local services in Knoxville

Went to pick up a game that had been shipped from another store. It arrived on a Wednesday. I called the store, no answer until late that afternoon, and they said they didi not have and I should check tomorrow despite the shipping store saying it had been logged as delivered. Came back Thursday at 11, and the store was closed. So I called from 12-2 with no answer. Visited the store at 3pm. Found no customers and one employee alone with stacks of boxes extending beyond the counter. When I asked about my game he said he hadn’t got through the deliveries from yesterday and gestured to the boxes and said I should try later. I asked if they were heaving trouble with the phone. He says: Oh Man! I forgot to turn it on! And then goes over at 3pm to turn on the phone. I come back Friday at 12, since they don’t open at 11 and find the store closed with a sign that their inventory system is down. I take a picture of the sign because at this point I plan to file a complaint. The manager sees me taking a photo and hastily runs out and asks if I need anything.

I ask about my game. He says he has it!

Great! Can I have it? It’s paid for and I have the receipt.

No. He can’t log it with the “system” being down. I ask if can just enter that later since he has the game in hand, it’s paid for, and it’s been days now to try and collect it.

He sticks to his guns and says no, I should just come back whenever his system is up, probably in the afternoon. I ask again, since I know it will be at least another day since I can return. I get a speech on how hard he works as a manager working over 40 hours at two different stores.

I left and called corporate to complain and spoke to someone who I doubt is from my country of origin. She was nice. Took down my information, said someone would be in touch. Haven’t heard from anyone. I finally got my game another day later.

Horrendous red flags of a store in decline. I am done. If they can’t be trusted to put games in a game case and / or even keep their phone on, or fix problems they create there is no need to do...

I've had multiple bad experiences with this GameStop and I thought I'd just give them chances just because it's the closest GameStop to my house, but after Friday I've had enough. I went in to see if they had any of the Prismatic Evolutions Pouch Collections left as I had saw on Popfindr they had 5 left in stock so I figured I'd shoot my shot. The employee told me that their associates had them on hold as they were going to buy them. So you mean to tell me you let your store's employees take half of the stock you received away from the public when Pokemon cards are already bare and hard to find as is? Absolutely scummy. Not to mention the store smelled heavily of weed this day.

In the past, I had also tried to get a copy of Metroid Prime Remastered on release day and the employee said they were out of stock. When I said I wanted to cancel my pre-order then, he decided to then pull out this unopened box behind him that had several copies of the game inside the box. This was also after he already told several people in line before me that it was out of stock and that they'd have to go across town to get it instead. So you only wanted to help me after I said I wanted to cancel my pre-order?

I've also tried asking before if they could give me a replacement case for one of my Switch games that I had lost. They said no and suggested I go to Walmart for a CD jewel case instead... when the Switch has cartridge games, not discs. So instead I stopped by the Oak Ridge GameStop where they happily provided me with a replacement case for my game, no questions asked. Another time, they suggested I buy Splatoon 2 instead of Splatoon 3 when it was out of stock at their location on release day. Yeah, sure, okay, I'll buy the old game I already have instead of the new one I came in for.

The employees and management here are absolutely scummy and selfish and do not care for their customers, only their own benefit, even when it's actually not benefitting their business. Avoid...

It's Gamestop. One day they'll go the way of Blockbuster and we'll be telling our kids how there used to be stores just like it as you pass by the few remaining in Orlando or LA.

But really, I hate their corporate level shinanigans. I don't have much time to play games much anymore, but I do like sinking my teeth into one when I can. When a game I look forward to comes out, I go pick it up day one or two, sometimes a little later. When I find out I've missed on some exclusive pre-order bonus it normally kills all excitement- why am I being punished for buying the game full price in person? Please stop making exclusive deals with publishers- it only hurts the consumer.

As for the store, it's great. I'm not a fan of being offered the same illegitimate magazine over and over each purchase. Also, lose the season pass pitches, what a total rip off. Why do people buy these? You have no idea what you're purchasing.

My comments of the comments below-

@Stephanie Hartfield- Good! I am so sick of coming into this location and others and constantly being solicited. I don't need help! Tyvm.

@crypto gram- How? Really, every time I've been here(off and on for several years) there are always the most friendly employees at the counter.

@Karen Deason- Oh..I..actually agree with you. It takes a lot of tenacity to boast about lunch when there are patient customers waiting in line for who-knows+ minutes. Boo...