Video game retailers

[Hexx]

Yeah, The Boatman mentioned it yesterday afternoon.

Yes but all they got was pay and overtime owed (it seems)

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0114/1224310243672.html

Which isn't what the Occupy Game Street people are asking for is it? They want redundency and other "entitlements" in addition to owed pay (based on the letter on the last page)

[ontwofronts]

You don't half spout some waffle at times

Seven words is waffle?

[JohnC]

Seven words is waffle?

Birds Eye potato waffles, they're waffle-y versatile.

Yep, seven.

[ontwofronts]

Birds Eye potato waffles, they're waffle-y versatile.

Yep, seven.

Bang to rights, it's a fair cop.

Seven again!

[Cthulhu Steev]

*sigh*

Well both my local Gamestations (Stockton and Middlesbrough) have closed. Not surprising since they were both within 2 minutes walking distance of a GAME but still, the Middlesbrough one is what made me like the chain, and I used to work Stockton one. It got me through College and University and got me out of a really crappy weekend job at the time. I really detested the GAME shops because I always felt I should be wearing a tie in there and the staff were always so pushy. That said the pushiness came when GAME bought Gamestation. I could have stood to lose GAME I just wish they didn't take the store I had a personal connection down with them.

Guess the nearby CHIPS and Grainger Games will be doing better business now.

CHIPs in Middlesbrough has been closed for ages.

[Stanley]

Seven words is waffle?

Depends what you're saying.

[cavalcade]

Does anyone know what's happening to the mainland European branches?

[Dudley]

it is shocking that so many people on here don't care that these employees are being badly treated here and are actually against them standing up for their rights. The wages that they're owed and their redundancy could be the difference between them being able to pay the rent or not. I for one wish them the best.

It's not that people don't care, it's that people aren't fantasists.

There is a strict order laid out for people being paid when a company fails. Locking yourself in a shop till you smell like your average customer can't change that, nor should it.

[ColinMac]

Whats wrong though, is that often companies don't "fail" until way after they have no funds, which means they deliberately keep going with the full knowledge that some staff won't get paid, since they're the soft target. It *should* be illegal and criminal, since it's effectively stealing as it is with foreknowledge and planned.

The time to fold is when you actually can't keep going.

Similarly still taking in trades and storing on Game cards. Technically, theft. Despite the fact they may open the scheme again, if I held onto 200 quid from their till, you can bet there would be some sort of incident!

(I recall a furniture group that had had its credit card facilities withdrawn - giving joe public some crap about system problems and trying their hardest to deal with cash deposits for furniture which clearly would never be delivered. Outright theft that, as it was at the instruction of management!)

Finally - isn't it interesting that within an hour of PWC taking the helm, they were closing shops. Must mean they had prior access to the accounts/debts, since you can't knee-jerk a reaction that quickly.

[ontwofronts]

Finally - isn't it interesting that within an hour of PWC taking the helm, they were closing shops. Must mean they had prior access to the accounts/debts, since you can't knee-jerk a reaction that quickly.

I'm pretty sure they will have had access since Wednesday when Game made public their intention to enter administration. Furthermore, the outgoing management would no doubt have drafted this as a "wish list" which they would have wanted to implement had they had the protection of administration. Given that the new rent quarter begins Sunday, and could have left PWC on the hook for the next quarter's rent, the decision to dump them ASAP becomes more understandable.

[JPickford]

Whats wrong though, is that often companies don't "fail" until way after they have no funds, which means they deliberately keep going with the full knowledge that some staff won't get paid, since they're the soft target. It *should* be illegal and criminal, since it's effectively stealing as it is with foreknowledge and planned.

It is illegal to trade while insolvent.

[ontwofronts]

It is illegal to trade while insolvent.

Trading while insolvent can be a bastard to define. It's a thin line between insolvency and a cash flow issue.

[Unofficial Who]

This is why my earlier cynicism. Down under employers pay a specified amount of staffers wages into superannuation. (This isn't voluntary, it's the law down here.) What a lot of dodgy companies do is pay their employees superannuation every six months. Sometimes companies doing badly will conveniently 'forget' to do this for six months to a year effectively stealing 12-17% of the employees wages over that period. Usually the employee only finds out once it's too late to do anything.

Sometimes this might just be misguided optimism by the employer that things will turn around and that they'll be able to repay their employees. Sometimes it's calculated.

(I have some bias here. My grandfather died in the 80's and it was apparent that the business was in trouble. Seeing as he died (natural causes) the family could have walked away. Instead while folding the company my grandmother sold her house in order to meet their employees wages. Legally she could have weasled out of it. Morally, damn right she did the right thing.)

[deerokus]

Similarly still taking in trades and storing on Game cards. Technically, theft. Despite the fact they may open the scheme again, if I held onto 200 quid from their till, you can bet there would be some sort of incident!

Nope, it's not theft, technically or otherwise. If you have store credit it's exactly that, credit. You've lent them money interest free and are now a creditor. Creditors lose out when companies fail. The lesson is not to lend money to struggling companies.

[loathsomeleopard]

Anyone want to buy the Australian arm of GAME?

[JohnC]

If they buy a loyalty card, I'll give them credit for trading it in.

[Dudley]

94 stores for what, 20 million people? They're already at the level GAME UK had to use administration to reach in terms of store per person. Looks like they might have been run better in the first place.

[Guest]

The comfort for those longer term employees who don't get redundancy is that they'll be able to claim it back through the Government.

I've had to do this twice due to companies going under, the third time I couldn't due to effectively being a contractor.

Happens all the time, just this is in the news so it's highlighted moreso. It's also potentially easier for shop workers to speak out against mis management as opposed to those who have careers in other sectors - where they could risk future employment doing so, despite the gross mismanagement of those who've again gone on to waste other people's money elsewhere...

[Guest]

RBS dive in to save GAME! We own them!

(or rather a consortium lead by RBS)

[James Lyon]

The tramworks have ruined the city centre. I never really like the Princes St store, Frederick St EB/Game was always good until they shut it

I remember when it was a dark and dingy future zone. I bought Sim City 2000 there. Ah, the memories.

I was thinking back of all the independent game stores that have sprung up over the years. I can't remember all the names now: there was the one in Rose Street which I think was a failed franchise based on a similar, more successful store in Glasgow; a couple in Dalry Road; an import specialist up near the Cameo with an alright guy behind the counter; and, for the really obscure, a shop apparently only accessed from the back of James Thin's bookstore up a hidden flight of stairs back in the 16-bit days.

All never lasted more than a couple of years, even when Game wasn't a massive presence. The only shop that has endured is the crappy Gamesmasters on Leith Walk. I'm not sure how they've survived so long. Game obviously need to copy their model and fill their store with masses of PSOne and PS2 games and the pungent smell of stale cigarettes.

[fieldy]

but what happens now? will publishers suddenly start supplying them again?

[Squigs]

I remember when it was a dark and dingy future zone. I bought Sim City 2000 there. Ah, the memories.

I was thinking back of all the independent game stores that have sprung up over the years. I can't remember all the names now: there was the one in Rose Street which I think was a failed franchise based on a similar, more successful store in Glasgow; a couple in Dalry Road; an import specialist up near the Cameo with an alright guy behind the counter; and, for the really obscure, a shop apparently only accessed from the back of James Thin's bookstore up a hidden flight of stairs back in the 16-bit days.

All never lasted more than a couple of years, even when Game wasn't a massive presence. The only shop that has endured is the crappy Gamesmasters on Leith Walk. I'm not sure how they've survived so long. Game obviously need to copy their model and fill their store with masses of PSOne and PS2 games and the pungent smell of stale cigarettes.

The last one on Dalry Road was quite a nice store, it almost seemed like it was part of a smaller chain. Must be around four years since it closed, hard to believe that Gamesmasters has stuck around for at least ten years. The state of the storefront and shutters make it look as though it was abandoned years ago.

[Lag]

Nope, it's not theft, technically or otherwise. If you have store credit it's exactly that, credit. You've lent them money interest free and are now a creditor. Creditors lose out when companies fail. The lesson is not to lend money to struggling companies.

Is it reasonable to expect a member of the public to establish the credit-worthiness of a retailer before he trades with them? Or should the retailer say, "best not to have credit with us as there is no guarantee we'll be around in a week"?

[Superunknown]

That Game apparently continued to take pre-order deposits for games and hardware (some of which they weren't even going to be supplied with) is certainly dodgy.

[Dudley]

but what happens now? will publishers suddenly start supplying them again?

Why wouldn't they? If RBS can't get credit insurance we're all REALLY fucked.

Is it reasonable to expect a member of the public to establish the credit-worthiness of a retailer before he trades with them?

It is reasonable for someone to establish the credit worthiness of anyone they lend money to without security yes.

[fieldy]

Why wouldn't they? If RBS can't get credit insurance we're all REALLY fucked.

It is reasonable for someone to establish the credit worthiness of anyone they lend money to without security yes.

Ah I see, cheers for clearing that - was not sure what the situation with that would be

[Stanley]

It is reasonable for someone to establish the credit worthiness of anyone they lend money to without security yes.

That's an arsey response. I think it's reasonable for Game to be expected to act responsibly.

[Dudley]

That's an arsey response. I think it's reasonable for Game to be expected to act responsibly.

What could they legally have done differently? (note they couldn't legally have communicated any more about their financial situation than they did)

Credit / Gift cards are money lending. People NEED to realise this and if that needs to be made really fucking explicit in terms and conditions then it should be.

[nfx]

94 stores for what, 20 million people? They're already at the level GAME UK had to use administration to reach in terms of store per person. Looks like they might have been run better in the first place.

They are a relatively small compared to EB Games, who have over 400 stores (which would equate to over 1000 with a UK-size population).

[Dudley]

Wow. Did not know that.

How in the fuck do they survive?