( #Gamestop, #Culture )
Image Credit: HoneyBunny
I am not much of a gamer. I own all of the major consoles, but I use them for their media extender capabilities…and I bought a Wii because my wife wanted it for parties. I don’t buy games often because I just don’t have time to play them and I feel really guilty when I blow a few hours on the couch, so I tend to avoid them. I have also trained myself not to buy new games because they always drop in price a few months later (new or used) but by then I completely forget about them.
I decided to get a game on Sunday because I finished up most of my school work and I wanted to reward myself. I got it in my head to run over to a Gamestop, but then I hesitated because I don’t usually like the guys who work in there (30-something man-boys that make me feel like an asshole for not caring/knowing about video games). Allow me to expand and get very locally focused. The closest Gamestop to me is in Glassboro, NJ. Every time I go in there it is dirty, everything has been picked over and the staff is rude. An additional point about the staff: there is a guy who works in there that is/was a friend of a former friend. He looks like a ghost. Casper seems to have had a hard life and he does recognize me when I walk in (which is good). But the whole experience puts me in a dark place.
So this Sunday I decided to go to a different Gamestop. I have tried the ones in Magnolia and Voorhees and had similar (bad) experiences, but I never noticed the one on Egg Harbor Road (Washington Township) before. When I walked in, the place was clean and the kid behind the counter was actually answering a child’s question. As soon as they were done, he asked me if I needed assistance. I told them I was looking around for something fun and not time consuming. Another kid in the back started asking some questions and handed me a used version of Portal 2 which just came out and it was like 40% cheaper than new. I bought it and went on my way.
Why am I sharing this experience? Normally I bitch on this blog about bad experiences. I wanted to highlight a good one, getting away from generalized statements (shout out to Pat B!). What is the difference between the Gamestop in Glassboro and the one on Egg Harbor Road? Culture. Whoever manages the Glassboro store does not care and it shows in the physical apeparance and in their interactions with the customers. The person running the Egg Harbor Road location hired friendly people and takes the care to make the store presentable, so when the average customer walks in they don’t feel the need to put on a full body condom.
Local readers, do you have similar stories? Are there stores that are geographically close, but have totally different shopping experiences? If so, share them. Lets celebrate the good ones!
