GameStop has been running a Buy 2, Get 2 Free promo for pre-owned PlayStation 2 games and I decided to look into it. It had been some time since I had added some games to my PS2 collection, and the corporate website indicated that a local store had a copy of a game that I'd been looking for (NHL Hitz 20-03) in stock. After using the PickUp@Store option on the website, I got an e-mail back within 15 minutes stating that it could not be found. Intuition told me different and I drove down there, thinking that I might find a few other games to pick up while inside.

Before I continue with this story, let me go back a bit. This isn't the first time that I'd visited this store. The last time I went was, admittedly, during the holiday rush. What stood out to me was cracked glass in the front door, disorganization everywhere, and a surplus of employees that just weren't doing anything. I'm a veteran of gaming retail, including tours of duty with this very chain, and this store was inexcusably bad. I couldn't fathom why at least one employee wasn't engaged in "recovery"-- which is basically re-organizing the store after customers have torn through it. Everything was everywhere, the counter area was a total disaster, and the interior was excessively dirty. I filled out one of those surveys that staff are supposed to ask you to fill out and wasn't at all subtle about my experience.

In retrospect, it was the holiday rush. Some of my contacts on Twitter pointed out that, while it shouldn't be an excuse, holiday rush meant that I should cut the store some slack. So, now that the holidays are long since gone, I thought I'd give the store one more chance. The store is only a couple of miles away, so it'd be more convenient if I could go there, rather than to a more distant location. The experience hadn't started well, obviously, since I suspected that Hitz 20-03 was in fact lurking in the store somewhere... but maybe I'd find some other games and it'd be a better experience this time out.

Upon arriving, there's no greeting. That's weird, because the store wasn't really that busy and acknowledging the customer is kind of a big deal in GameStop's customer service model. I make my way over to the PlayStation 2 section, and one of GameStop's most questionable business practices reared its ugly head immediately. Hundreds of games that once had cases and instruction manuals at one time were relegated to yellow sleeves and haphazardly thrown onto shelves. There was no alphabetization to be found. Some games weren't in their proper sleeves. Other sleeves were empty, which indicated theft. It's a shame, too, because these games would be a lot easier to locate (at least in theory) if the cases were kept.

After 10 minutes of looking, I found NHL Hitz 20-03... despite what the store said. Unfortunately, after examining it, the disc was in incredibly poor shape.

I kept looking around, staying away from the disc-only games. I did manage to find a few $10 games that I didn't own yet, including original and Xtreme Legends versions of Samurai Warriors 2 and Dynasty Warriors 5... plus the three Mortal Kombat games that I was missing (Deadly Alliance, Deception, and Armageddon). Upon bringing them up to the counter, the employee decided to field phone calls while trying to find my games instead of defaulting to the manager on the floor. This led to a longer transaction time and then word that Dynasty Warriors 5 was not in stock, despite inventory claiming otherwise and having the case in my hands. The store manager came over and did a quick look himself before saying something to the effect of, "Huh. It's not here."

My transaction was completed with no request to complete the survey (which I did anyway) and I was sent on my way.

I won't be visiting this store again. Fool me once, like this location did when I visited last, shame on you. Fool me twice, like they did this time, and it's shame on me. These are the kinds of experiences that sour me on the entire chain.

I get that GameStop wants PS2 stuff gone. I get that nobody wants it, aside from a few crazy people like me. I get that there's only so much room. I get that the chain is just coming off of the holiday season. Sadly, it's more than that when it comes to the store in question. Even the Xbox 360 and PS3 games were ridiculously disorganized. The staff was nonchalant. The store manager was more focused on tasks than customers, to the point where the game advisors were expected to act like he wasn't even there. The shopping experience for anyone at this store is lacking; I'm just one example.

It's embarrassing, especially as someone who's been on the other side of that counter. It's too bad that the parent company doesn't care enough to fix it.