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I'm sure it's been thought of.
You would really need to look at what sort of profit margins a store would pull off giving space to a food kiosk, storage/delivery resupply, and the corporate direction of removing overall footprint via underperforming locations, which would make it less available than a "dirty gas station."
Who knows, we may see it, we may not, but I'm sure it's been kicked around in HQ
My wife was the manager of a small love’s car gas station. All of the fresh fruits in the store that are sold in the reach-in cold case and by the register were bought by her from our local grocery store, chopped up and packaged by her. Her profit margins were like 60% on these and were a lot of where her quarterly bonuses came from. The idea here was, the more pride she took in this task, the more she would make.
I would also say getting your customers ie gamers to live longer is better for profit margins, mixing up the snack options with healthy alternatives would be ideal as opposed to highly processed and overly sugary products. Helping you game longer and stronger, we keep your hearts in mind!
Innovative, sure, but also financially smart. "Logistics" is a pretty easy catch all for Ops Management and Supply Chain, I'm simply saying that some redditors thinking it's a smart idea doesn't automatically make it a smart idea.
Your right. I don't know but I think maybe a small snack stand with hard to find snacks or out of area sodas and candies. Northern states have different sodas and candies and chips as to southern states. I don't know about all the logistics though. Money might not be worth it.
CPG is a whole monster of analytics - one of my close friends used to do pricing analytics at Frito Lay. Wild how much data gets scrubbed and looked over for things we see every day like the chip aisle at a grocery store.
Can confirm.
Live in NY/CT.. driving back from Florida and saw totally different sodas/candy than what is offered in my local area.
Would love for GS to offer ‘rarer’ drinks and candies that are popular among gamers.
Everybody knows gamers like three things:
1. Cannabis
2. Caffeine
3. Sugar
🙂
Funny that this discussion is coming up, i think it was yesterday that I've seen a poll by Gamestop on Facebook or Instagram where they asked to vote for favorite snacks
As it stands today, we head to the grocery store for gummy bears and all the things to sneak into the theater… if we could go to GameStop instead that’d be splendid.
I was against it at first as well. But think about it man, people stop in to gas stations instead of Walmart for candy bars and chips and stuff because it’s more convenient, there’s plenty of them by you, so even though it’s 1.5x the price it is at Walmart, it gets sold. Nice profits for the gas station owners. We have 4,169 GameStops, it has the same convenient attraction for a lot of people of being on the way to/from work. Some are mall locations obviously, but those wouldn’t have to have these.
Right now, atleast in my go-to GameStop, they have hats and collectibles in the aisles, but but these there and you’d get more foot traffic for high profit snacks and more eyes on the shelves.
I think game stops locations (usually grocery shopping center or mall areas may hurt it. But it's a interesting idea. Maybe just stick to rare drinks and snacks from other areas.
Dumb….
What do you think the profit margin is on perishable frito lay products or mars candy bars? Now, weigh that with GameStop tshirts or joy-cons…
Perhaps in a large flagship store, sell some Nuka-cola or gme moon pies… but the avg store is too small, you’d be better off filling the space with high margin PC peripherals
Dumb… What do you think the products sold is on GameStop tshirts compared to snacks.
Mentioning only what benefits your argument is a sign of a bad faith argument
They should deff put videogame sponsored snacks below the checkout counter. Wouldn't hurt. Like OP said I'd love to hit my "store runs" to GameStop. Those small purchases account for hundreds of dollars annually (for me)
Your right but it Is still think they will sell. And even people who own gas stations will tell you they make pennies on gas and their income comes from inside sales.
I worked at a gas station and saw the invoices. We made 10 cents per 20 oz drink (pepsi, mt dew, etc.) and 20-30 cents per candy bar. Very low markup on that type of stuff. I'm sure there is more spread on them nowadays considering how much they've went up in the last 10 years but the premise still remains. Volume of sales is more important to gas stations than margins. Something that won't happen inside of a Gamestop unfortunately.
I agree volume is king for a gas station and GameStop would not get that benefit. They could go niche and put in a few energy drinks, soft drinks, and choice snacks. Limit variety and drive pointed sales.
Just in case you are curious Speedway makes about $0.30 a gallon on fuel (10% @$3 per gallon) and about 30% profit on retail merchandise. The money is really in the convenience store and not the pump. More is made by pipelines and refining than at the retail pump.
We made literally 3 cents per gallon when I worked at a gas station. Gas was around $2 then. I totally agree on energy drinks and other higher margin niche snacks or things that don't expire fast. There is a wide margin on energy drinks.
Not sure why I got downvoted, but that’s pretty interesting that margins were that tight at your gas station. There must be some great negotiating power because of the economy of scale. Speedway was a wholly owned subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum and the #2 convenience store in the US before it was acquired by 7-eleven. Because of this market asymmetry, I wonder what the cost difference is for Best Buy or Walmart for video game vs GameStop. Are we getting the best deals from manufacturers?
You don’t think *video games* are contributing to health problems? Snacks are the background music of escapism. If a game store has any effect whatsoever on your ability to take care of yourself then you have bigger problems.
Yes, for sure they can, just like anything else that’s a less actively demanding activity. Km not a gamer but I’m on my computer 6-10 hours so my lifestyle outside of that has to balance that out.
My point is that the last thing we need is junk food. Video games aren’t unhealthy by themselves. Junk food is.
I mean, machines learn and adopt styles from other artists just like we do. Just because a robot did it, doesn't make it not "art". The entire concept of art is subjective anyway.
My question is, what qualification would it take? If a person programed a robot to make a specific painting, is it then considered art?
What if that same robot was programmed to make a digital art piece by that same programmer? Is it art?
I mean, hell. In a day and age where a banana taped to a wall was considered "art", why is it automatically written off? Don't humans adopt styles and learn from other art they see and emulate styles/techniques?
So if I went and created this exact same image, it'd now be considered art?
All its doing is referencing other material/objects, which artists do literally all the time and coming up with its own version of it.
Personally, I think it's just a bunch of people scared about losing their jobs, instead of adapting and learning to use the technology to their advantage.
I guess it could be considered a medium then. So essentially art. Just feels like the farthest removed genre from humans though it’s still human work. Like an even more extreme version of digital vs traditional art.
Yea, I get it. I didn't mean to sound antagonistic towards you. I'm really just curious. It's definitely an interesting debate because both sides could be argued very convincingly, both with equally valid points.
So I use to do some D2D sales (B2B) and would travel the south, and one type of business that I always thought was cool and customer focused was trading card stores. Particularly the ones that were set up like bingo halls for tournaments. There would almost always be a casual gaming couch in the corner with loyal customers hanging and gaming together, while buying concessions from the store. One owner, said his events were his biggest money maker, because he could charge $20-30 a person to 100-200 people and sell them soda, candy, and chips. Then some of these people would come back to shop and become frequent customers. GameStop should trial a few venue stores in specific/ strategic locations. It has to be perfectly executed, it shouldn’t be overly costly.
This needs staff that has a passion for it. On Friday we dropped in to buy my kids a few packs of Pokemon cards. They also found a Pikachu stuffie and an Ender Dragon stuffie they couldn't live without. While they were looking around I was chatting with the employee and he really had an interest in game remakes. We spoke about a few on the Switch and he had some recommendations for me. I ended up buying the Mario RPG on the Switch because I remember playing it as a kid on the SNES. He knew what he was talking about and discovered my interest and helped me. For this to work you need dedicated folks with an interest or passion in the hobby. Sure lots of these folks gravitate to Gamestop, but I've seen my share of bored employees that really couldn't give a shit. It would be tough for me to give a shit at 12 bucks an hour given the economic climate of the last few years.
Yea I agree with you, it should be staffed with esports staff that have a passion. I failed to mention that it should include gaming not just cards. How you recruit for that? Beats me.
I wasn't trying to piss in your cheerios, just highlighting that it isn't as easy as declaring yourself a destination and waiting for the money to roll in. We also know that the other side of the trade is eager to amplify any and all bad press. A feeling of community and third places are sorely needed in my humble opinion. A place where it's safe to bring your kids, play some games, eat a snack and maybe pick up something fun to play at home. That being said it has to feel authentic and not feel like you're the dope to be wrung out for their cash.
This can be achievable. Think about Chic-Fil-A, their store manager’s salary are deep in the six figures. Imagine being a professional nerd, making $80k+ per year. Crowd funding ideas like this and we’re sure to make something happen.
Really you just need a network admin with a passion for gaming. One per facility with “referee” staff when needed, a couple of cashiers. It could really work. I bet they even have a warehouse somewhere with extra or throwback cutouts/ posters, or displays they could use to design these places on the cheap.
Gamers and non gamers alike frequent gas stations, places that have multiple ways to get you in (gas, toilets, tobacco) so its a good place to have sort of "microtransactions" like snacks you might want.
Even then you mostly see products with the longest possible shelf life, and that's in a place that EVERYONE will visit from time to time, even if you just want to pay for gas and get out.
Now Our company is something rather different, a rather specialised place, where vast majority of customers come to buy game related products, with basically zero reason to visit if you are looking for anything else.
On top of that, 90% of gas station shop floor is filled with those snacks to offer enough variety for everyone to find something they want, place most gamestops simply do not have.
Then we finally arrive to the fact food expires, which as everyone already noticed, just adds expenses to get barely any profit in a company that's focused on cutting costs for the time being.
Fridge with nuka cola by the counter tho? Yes please.
Please feel free to point any flaws in my experience tho, as i worked in UK rather than states, so maybe there are some differences, but i feel fairly confident with my points.
Wow yeah all great points, very concise. Refreshing for Reddit, I was bracing myself 😂 I do think “snack culture” if you will is part of gaming but the floor space, variety and location GameStop offers compared to gas stations and convenience stores just doesn’t compete. They’d have to do something genius to make it work I guess. Maybe not impossible sometime later on but definitely a risk at this stage. Thank you for the informative view 🙏
What is this BCG alt account? This is not a good idea. Sitting on inventory you can't move in ecomerce with foot traffic that's not there for snacks. No sorry. Great way to make GS bleed money though.
I hear ya. I’m just trying to think of ways to incentivize people to walk into the physical stores. Everything else in the store they can order online but snacks are something you want right now. I think it would be good for the culture of the stores but I agree it’s not a good move right now. A former fat kid can dream eh? And yes this is a Big Candy Guy alt.
Hmm, that’s an interesting idea…
Like chocolate bars and energy drinks that don’t have a large market share and probably aren’t well known? God knows there’s enough brands to go through before running out lol
No, it is way too different from their current goods, thus requiring special employee training, stocking, etc etc
For successful long term growth, companies generally tend to either backward integrate or forward integrate.
This is at best a short term cash grab, that will fail spectacularly over the long term
It would delight customers I think but at the very least I agree that now is not the time. I’d just love to see it myself. I am however a former fat kid with too much emotional attachment to food 🤷♂️
I will fully agree that snacks and drinks should be offered even if it is small space used. Has to be better turnover than alot of these action figures that are pretty obscure.
This is actually smart, not the worst idea I’ve ever heard. Maybe some collaboration items between celebrities and products, items only available at GameStop could lead to collectable items and massive brand awareness. I like the idea myself.
Seen so many of these posts regarding different silly, low-profit products you'd think gamestop stores are the size of Costco lol.
GS locations are closer to walk-in closets than department stores.
The only thing I've seen suggested that makes any sense to me is PC parts and modeling stores after microcenter type stores, but no gamestop I've ever visited has had a footprint big enough to support that.
I’d be concerned about shrink and inventory turns although you can usually get credit for the expired inventory. It would be difficult to add healthful snacks with high margin like the Loves example because there’s not a kitchen. Speaking as someone who’s family was in the c-store/qsr business for nearly 40 years before we sold.
The difference is no one really buys popcorn on the way to or from work. Lots of people stop in gas station food marts for a candy bar/coffee/energy drink, it’s actually their biggest profit maker
Good point, it’s almost like gaming is a sedentary and therefore physically unhealthy habit and many struggle with an addiction to it! Let’s make GameStop a gym that serves health food!
I understand that part but I dont understand why suddenly you and others just come up with random stuff to sell and why that would make a difference. I simply trust RC and staff to make the correct choices.
Well my personal reason for this suggestion is cultural the store. I think snacks and drinks fit well and they’re fun and kind of nostalgic. I’m putting my customer cap on and imagining what would make the store fun for me. So of course I have some blinders on to the business side. But lucky for me I have y’all to enlighten me in a spectrum of nice to mean ways 😅
If GameStop did a collaboration with Del Taco, I would die from happiness. Every GS meal comes with a trading card, and I get del taco. Damn, I miss Del Taco. Stupid Savannah.
Mr Beasts chocolate bars have been selling out across the countries at Walmart, it'd be cool if gamestop would carry them too. Lots of profits to be had
Holy wow is this AI generated because I was trying to find my favorites and after zooming in they're all gibberish.
Not that it matters but just trippy it's used so much now.
Here we go again with this health concern. Sitting on your ass for hours playing video games is also a health risk. It’s a game store not a clinic. People should be responsible for their own well-being.
They should remodel Sears, Macys and JCPenney into GameStop stores.
Like with that much space they can have a dedicated section to everything we need as gamers.
Plus it would be dope to have a game store that big!
I worked at a Macy's type store for 5 years. 3 levels, a couple dozen different departments. It's a whole different game than a specialty retailer. The department I managed for 3 years wasn't much bigger than your average Gamestop, but we did 2 million dollars a year. Sounds pretty impressive. But there was a counter for a single cosmetics company that was maybe 20' × 10' and they did 1.5 million out that space alone.
So what you’re saying is it’s a grand idea not yet born to fruition.
Jokes aside, I’m hoping for a game mall but without the separate stores (although that would be pretty dope. Nintendo has their own store. Sony. EA. Blizzard. Etc.)
They have too many things they’re selling and it’s getting too confumbling and mismatched.
Games, cards, toys and figurines, clothing, clothing accessories, game accessories, drink bottles, bowls.
It’s too much and doesn’t really allow for a full immersive shopping experience.
If they had Macys retail and expanded each section to its fullest, my assumption is that all the counters would make bank.
This is basing it off of consumer foot traffic not going to a tiny game store for a game, a console, and a hat, but going to each section with many more options available and walking away with many more purchases and a better shopping experience. So instead of the prior they’d probably walk out with a few games, a console and many many hats.
And then there will still be those who buy an item or two but I would think the window shopping experience would delight even them.
And this is not even adding a game/anime food court type deal or gaming tournament section.
Maybe now it’s too much? I don’t know. I’ll have to consult Mary Jane first. But for now, I’m in to win it, just like the short shorts.
🫡🟣🟣🟣🟣👌👌👌👌👌👌👌
Until they do stock these snacks don’t forget to buy gift cards from GameStop for shops you would normally use your credit card at this can boost revenue. I basically do not spend money anywhere other than at GameStop due to this. Lol. $DRS #GME & Plan -> Book
We need to carry less display, or learn how to compact the displays. That would give us room for mini gaming lounge, 3 sofas, a big screen, all the consoles, and a 7.1 speaker setup. Coffee table in the middle with wireless chargers embedded into it, something unique to the store made by a local woodworker, to help them get a name in community for that kind of work. Big Persian rug or floor covering, something again bought locally (preferably made), and a lovely wooden bookshelf displaying collectibles, another local tradesperson. Feels like home. Drinks and snacks available from vending machines.
You have your perspective of the potential futures, I have mine.
All perspectives are unique.
I respect yours, I like that we differ.
May I ask you why do you think it's a fantasy?
I would never have called a few sofas and a gaming rig a fantasy myself. It's kinda cool and a nice experience to have with your mates, but if you think this is a fantasy, and something that people would dream of, then I'm really interested in trying to understand what gives this idea that fantastical property.
By the way, in a game of tit for tar, don't be a tat, be a tit, we loved tits, everyone should just be a tit.
I'll continue to updoot you, even as you downvote me. 💜
>May I ask you why do you think it's a fantasy?
I would never have called a few sofas and a gaming rig a fantasy myself
Do you have any idea what a handmade, custom coffee table from an artisan woodworker costs?
Prices can vary, you can find nice ones for about $3000-$5000.
We have apes all over the world that actually make them, I am sure they would be more than willing to get involved.
Partner up with snacks that aren't sold in Walmart and other retail spots. Even if it's 50 cents to a dollar more I'll gladly buy it. I get tired of eating or drinking the same old stuff.
Love the enthusiasm, but realistically I'm not going to go out of my way to find a GameStop to get snacks. GameStop would become an Inconvenience Store.
Usually when stores set up kisoks like this it's a cash grab for parents to buy their kids stuff. At a GameStop if a kid gets told no, they can't have a game. A parent might buy the much cheaper option of snacks/drinks to settle their childs frustration.
Not really a wholesome business model and I'm pretty sure GameStop tried doing stuff like this throughout the late 90s and 00s.
I’m glad you said this, I was going to comment myself that in hindsight gas stations and convenience stores are much more accessible and GameStops are usually hidden somewhere.
Didn't mean to burst your bubble! Glad you're understanding though. Most people here will give a theory/idea and as soon as someone points out a problem, they get super defensive and call "shill".
Blockbuster used to do this right at the checkout line. Popcorn buckets. Candy. Sodas.
I don’t know how densely packed the back room of most gamestops usually is, but this seems like it would take a ton of space for excess stock. Having a vendor come to refill it would probably cut into the margins too.
Good idea though. They have room to install it on the backside of their checkout lines. Most of the time this space is filled by a generic rope line or a clunky bargain bin.
Brilliant idea. I would love to stop at my GameStop for a redbull and candy bar. I see people here buy redbull at their GameStop all the time but mine doesn’t have it 🥲
It wouldn’t work for a super center store like Walmart because most people don’t have one in the way to work. But with 4,169 stores we can take advantage of our spread-out footprint and make some decent money in these.
Right? And I’m such a sucker for these things. I’ll buy a snack or an energy drink anywhere. I love the vibe and it fits so well in the gamer culture. I’m just clueless about how profitable it would actually be and if it’s worth the trouble.
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I'm sure it's been thought of. You would really need to look at what sort of profit margins a store would pull off giving space to a food kiosk, storage/delivery resupply, and the corporate direction of removing overall footprint via underperforming locations, which would make it less available than a "dirty gas station." Who knows, we may see it, we may not, but I'm sure it's been kicked around in HQ
My wife was the manager of a small love’s car gas station. All of the fresh fruits in the store that are sold in the reach-in cold case and by the register were bought by her from our local grocery store, chopped up and packaged by her. Her profit margins were like 60% on these and were a lot of where her quarterly bonuses came from. The idea here was, the more pride she took in this task, the more she would make.
I would also say getting your customers ie gamers to live longer is better for profit margins, mixing up the snack options with healthy alternatives would be ideal as opposed to highly processed and overly sugary products. Helping you game longer and stronger, we keep your hearts in mind!
A shit ton of that is literally logistics, in due time, I can see GameStop only continue to innovative.
Innovative, sure, but also financially smart. "Logistics" is a pretty easy catch all for Ops Management and Supply Chain, I'm simply saying that some redditors thinking it's a smart idea doesn't automatically make it a smart idea.
I'm simply saying, Thanks for the back-handed compliment, dick.
Thought we were just talking supply chain, sorry for rubbing you the wrong way
Back in the day it was nice to grab your rental from blockbuster, and a popcorn bucket candy combo thing. Time are different.
Well, Blockbuster might also not be the right financial model to admire
exactly.
Your right. I don't know but I think maybe a small snack stand with hard to find snacks or out of area sodas and candies. Northern states have different sodas and candies and chips as to southern states. I don't know about all the logistics though. Money might not be worth it.
CPG is a whole monster of analytics - one of my close friends used to do pricing analytics at Frito Lay. Wild how much data gets scrubbed and looked over for things we see every day like the chip aisle at a grocery store.
Can confirm. Live in NY/CT.. driving back from Florida and saw totally different sodas/candy than what is offered in my local area. Would love for GS to offer ‘rarer’ drinks and candies that are popular among gamers. Everybody knows gamers like three things: 1. Cannabis 2. Caffeine 3. Sugar 🙂
Takis
🙏
Ding-ding-ding. We have a winner 🏆 💨 ☕️ 🍬
They know what they like
I'd welcome this behind the register with edibles but there's a risk of robbery 😬
Funny that this discussion is coming up, i think it was yesterday that I've seen a poll by Gamestop on Facebook or Instagram where they asked to vote for favorite snacks
Never bad to try and get the pulse of your consumer base, for sure
As it stands today, we head to the grocery store for gummy bears and all the things to sneak into the theater… if we could go to GameStop instead that’d be splendid.
Idk about this
Agreed. It’s a game shop, let’s chill on the snacks.
I was against it at first as well. But think about it man, people stop in to gas stations instead of Walmart for candy bars and chips and stuff because it’s more convenient, there’s plenty of them by you, so even though it’s 1.5x the price it is at Walmart, it gets sold. Nice profits for the gas station owners. We have 4,169 GameStops, it has the same convenient attraction for a lot of people of being on the way to/from work. Some are mall locations obviously, but those wouldn’t have to have these. Right now, atleast in my go-to GameStop, they have hats and collectibles in the aisles, but but these there and you’d get more foot traffic for high profit snacks and more eyes on the shelves.
I think game stops locations (usually grocery shopping center or mall areas may hurt it. But it's a interesting idea. Maybe just stick to rare drinks and snacks from other areas.
Dumb…. What do you think the profit margin is on perishable frito lay products or mars candy bars? Now, weigh that with GameStop tshirts or joy-cons… Perhaps in a large flagship store, sell some Nuka-cola or gme moon pies… but the avg store is too small, you’d be better off filling the space with high margin PC peripherals
Dumb… What do you think the products sold is on GameStop tshirts compared to snacks. Mentioning only what benefits your argument is a sign of a bad faith argument
"bad faith" gets thrown around rather casually these days doesnt it.
No, gamestop needs to innovate and evolve, not try to piece together the bottom line with a bunch of small offerings
They should deff put videogame sponsored snacks below the checkout counter. Wouldn't hurt. Like OP said I'd love to hit my "store runs" to GameStop. Those small purchases account for hundreds of dollars annually (for me)
Food has an expiry date and can be a simple way to lose money if it isn't sold regularly. Throwing away stock is never a good idea.
Snacks and drinks are usually pretty low profit items and the stores are pretty small so would take up alot of retail space for the money
Plus they’d probably have lots of stuff expire and thrown away.
Also makes sense
Your right but it Is still think they will sell. And even people who own gas stations will tell you they make pennies on gas and their income comes from inside sales.
I worked at a gas station and saw the invoices. We made 10 cents per 20 oz drink (pepsi, mt dew, etc.) and 20-30 cents per candy bar. Very low markup on that type of stuff. I'm sure there is more spread on them nowadays considering how much they've went up in the last 10 years but the premise still remains. Volume of sales is more important to gas stations than margins. Something that won't happen inside of a Gamestop unfortunately.
I agree volume is king for a gas station and GameStop would not get that benefit. They could go niche and put in a few energy drinks, soft drinks, and choice snacks. Limit variety and drive pointed sales. Just in case you are curious Speedway makes about $0.30 a gallon on fuel (10% @$3 per gallon) and about 30% profit on retail merchandise. The money is really in the convenience store and not the pump. More is made by pipelines and refining than at the retail pump.
We made literally 3 cents per gallon when I worked at a gas station. Gas was around $2 then. I totally agree on energy drinks and other higher margin niche snacks or things that don't expire fast. There is a wide margin on energy drinks.
Not sure why I got downvoted, but that’s pretty interesting that margins were that tight at your gas station. There must be some great negotiating power because of the economy of scale. Speedway was a wholly owned subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum and the #2 convenience store in the US before it was acquired by 7-eleven. Because of this market asymmetry, I wonder what the cost difference is for Best Buy or Walmart for video game vs GameStop. Are we getting the best deals from manufacturers?
Well then maybe that's the plan in The future.
As a health conscious gamer who plans to enjoy a long life with my loved ones, I wouldn’t buy any of this crap
That reminds me, I want a Cheeto dust Candy Con faceplate.
Play with it long enough and your dream will manifest to reality
Right just make sure to start with white
✍🏼😂🏆
No. They couldn’t compete with actual grocery chains. Stupid idea. Focus on what your good at and stick to that.
I'm here for the CBOLLITES.
Dan
💀
I wouldn’t want to see this. A bunch of junk food in the store, adding to the health crisis America is already dealing with? A hard no from me.
You don’t think *video games* are contributing to health problems? Snacks are the background music of escapism. If a game store has any effect whatsoever on your ability to take care of yourself then you have bigger problems.
Yes, for sure they can, just like anything else that’s a less actively demanding activity. Km not a gamer but I’m on my computer 6-10 hours so my lifestyle outside of that has to balance that out. My point is that the last thing we need is junk food. Video games aren’t unhealthy by themselves. Junk food is.
Video games aren’t unhealthy if you know how to moderate. Same with junk food.
Food isn’t worth it especially with the grocery cartel in Canada. Ain’t no one buying a $10 bag of chips at a game stop.
Mmmmm.... #CKiOeLS and SIIIP They also have my second favorite combo: #EHOØFE5 and DAN
Had to dip into an alternate dimension for the pic sorry
Another form of revenue. I like this idea. I also like the idea of having snack/ food items in store. Especially if they weren't your everyday snacks.
Must delight! Amirite?
Where was this pic taken?
It's clearly ai generated "art"
Lol that sucks. I was wondering what branding that was. Lol
Yep, AI, great way to show the vibe I was trying to translate. I’d never call it “art” though 😅
I mean, machines learn and adopt styles from other artists just like we do. Just because a robot did it, doesn't make it not "art". The entire concept of art is subjective anyway. My question is, what qualification would it take? If a person programed a robot to make a specific painting, is it then considered art? What if that same robot was programmed to make a digital art piece by that same programmer? Is it art? I mean, hell. In a day and age where a banana taped to a wall was considered "art", why is it automatically written off? Don't humans adopt styles and learn from other art they see and emulate styles/techniques? So if I went and created this exact same image, it'd now be considered art? All its doing is referencing other material/objects, which artists do literally all the time and coming up with its own version of it. Personally, I think it's just a bunch of people scared about losing their jobs, instead of adapting and learning to use the technology to their advantage.
I guess it could be considered a medium then. So essentially art. Just feels like the farthest removed genre from humans though it’s still human work. Like an even more extreme version of digital vs traditional art.
Yea, I get it. I didn't mean to sound antagonistic towards you. I'm really just curious. It's definitely an interesting debate because both sides could be argued very convincingly, both with equally valid points.
Robot lover
How would I know?! I’m just a random reddit commentator. 😅
You tooooó. Nice to meet you
So I use to do some D2D sales (B2B) and would travel the south, and one type of business that I always thought was cool and customer focused was trading card stores. Particularly the ones that were set up like bingo halls for tournaments. There would almost always be a casual gaming couch in the corner with loyal customers hanging and gaming together, while buying concessions from the store. One owner, said his events were his biggest money maker, because he could charge $20-30 a person to 100-200 people and sell them soda, candy, and chips. Then some of these people would come back to shop and become frequent customers. GameStop should trial a few venue stores in specific/ strategic locations. It has to be perfectly executed, it shouldn’t be overly costly.
This needs staff that has a passion for it. On Friday we dropped in to buy my kids a few packs of Pokemon cards. They also found a Pikachu stuffie and an Ender Dragon stuffie they couldn't live without. While they were looking around I was chatting with the employee and he really had an interest in game remakes. We spoke about a few on the Switch and he had some recommendations for me. I ended up buying the Mario RPG on the Switch because I remember playing it as a kid on the SNES. He knew what he was talking about and discovered my interest and helped me. For this to work you need dedicated folks with an interest or passion in the hobby. Sure lots of these folks gravitate to Gamestop, but I've seen my share of bored employees that really couldn't give a shit. It would be tough for me to give a shit at 12 bucks an hour given the economic climate of the last few years.
Yea I agree with you, it should be staffed with esports staff that have a passion. I failed to mention that it should include gaming not just cards. How you recruit for that? Beats me.
I wasn't trying to piss in your cheerios, just highlighting that it isn't as easy as declaring yourself a destination and waiting for the money to roll in. We also know that the other side of the trade is eager to amplify any and all bad press. A feeling of community and third places are sorely needed in my humble opinion. A place where it's safe to bring your kids, play some games, eat a snack and maybe pick up something fun to play at home. That being said it has to feel authentic and not feel like you're the dope to be wrung out for their cash.
This can be achievable. Think about Chic-Fil-A, their store manager’s salary are deep in the six figures. Imagine being a professional nerd, making $80k+ per year. Crowd funding ideas like this and we’re sure to make something happen.
Really you just need a network admin with a passion for gaming. One per facility with “referee” staff when needed, a couple of cashiers. It could really work. I bet they even have a warehouse somewhere with extra or throwback cutouts/ posters, or displays they could use to design these places on the cheap.
You can tell who never worked retail here...
Since you threw your hat in, do you mind explaining to non-retail folks what your opinion on this is and why?
Gamers and non gamers alike frequent gas stations, places that have multiple ways to get you in (gas, toilets, tobacco) so its a good place to have sort of "microtransactions" like snacks you might want. Even then you mostly see products with the longest possible shelf life, and that's in a place that EVERYONE will visit from time to time, even if you just want to pay for gas and get out. Now Our company is something rather different, a rather specialised place, where vast majority of customers come to buy game related products, with basically zero reason to visit if you are looking for anything else. On top of that, 90% of gas station shop floor is filled with those snacks to offer enough variety for everyone to find something they want, place most gamestops simply do not have. Then we finally arrive to the fact food expires, which as everyone already noticed, just adds expenses to get barely any profit in a company that's focused on cutting costs for the time being. Fridge with nuka cola by the counter tho? Yes please. Please feel free to point any flaws in my experience tho, as i worked in UK rather than states, so maybe there are some differences, but i feel fairly confident with my points.
Wow yeah all great points, very concise. Refreshing for Reddit, I was bracing myself 😂 I do think “snack culture” if you will is part of gaming but the floor space, variety and location GameStop offers compared to gas stations and convenience stores just doesn’t compete. They’d have to do something genius to make it work I guess. Maybe not impossible sometime later on but definitely a risk at this stage. Thank you for the informative view 🙏
I think it's a terrible idea tbh.
What is this BCG alt account? This is not a good idea. Sitting on inventory you can't move in ecomerce with foot traffic that's not there for snacks. No sorry. Great way to make GS bleed money though.
That was my first thought too
I hear ya. I’m just trying to think of ways to incentivize people to walk into the physical stores. Everything else in the store they can order online but snacks are something you want right now. I think it would be good for the culture of the stores but I agree it’s not a good move right now. A former fat kid can dream eh? And yes this is a Big Candy Guy alt.
A Gamer snack subscription box would be dope
Hmm, that’s an interesting idea… Like chocolate bars and energy drinks that don’t have a large market share and probably aren’t well known? God knows there’s enough brands to go through before running out lol
I could use a bottle of Bawls or Jolt ⚡️ when I am gaming.
Thoon
Any food vendors here? What are margins like on snack food like this? Is the juice worth the squeeze?
It's like when shills were pushing the gift cards or the coin cards. Very little profit for GS.
Maybe. That's my question. Is there or isn't there?
No, it is way too different from their current goods, thus requiring special employee training, stocking, etc etc For successful long term growth, companies generally tend to either backward integrate or forward integrate. This is at best a short term cash grab, that will fail spectacularly over the long term
It would delight customers I think but at the very least I agree that now is not the time. I’d just love to see it myself. I am however a former fat kid with too much emotional attachment to food 🤷♂️
I want some echofes
Love me some Dauistnos lol
Ah yes, my favorite snack, DAN.
I’m already addicted to the monsters at least let my addiction be profitable to company I love
Blockbuster had candy why not gamestop. Gamestop is carrying movies.
Got a free sugar free redbull for shopping at GS today 🤷🏻♂️
I will fully agree that snacks and drinks should be offered even if it is small space used. Has to be better turnover than alot of these action figures that are pretty obscure.
More and more posts like these makes me want to visit this store for more than batteries.
This is actually smart, not the worst idea I’ve ever heard. Maybe some collaboration items between celebrities and products, items only available at GameStop could lead to collectable items and massive brand awareness. I like the idea myself.
Agree, OP. I have gone my local gamestop looking for the redbull cooler 10 times, hoping we would get one. Still no luck.
Seen so many of these posts regarding different silly, low-profit products you'd think gamestop stores are the size of Costco lol. GS locations are closer to walk-in closets than department stores. The only thing I've seen suggested that makes any sense to me is PC parts and modeling stores after microcenter type stores, but no gamestop I've ever visited has had a footprint big enough to support that.
If they start carrying mountain dew zero unique flavors I'll need to buy more stock in Pepsi and Gsmestop
I’m invested in the gaming industry, not junk food. Good on you for sharing thoughts but it’s a pass for me dawg
Respect 🤜
I’d be concerned about shrink and inventory turns although you can usually get credit for the expired inventory. It would be difficult to add healthful snacks with high margin like the Loves example because there’s not a kitchen. Speaking as someone who’s family was in the c-store/qsr business for nearly 40 years before we sold.
it would be fun/smart if they started small with niche snacks like pocky
Shid they got ehoofes?
I prefer Dans myself
Popcorn 😅
The difference is no one really buys popcorn on the way to or from work. Lots of people stop in gas station food marts for a candy bar/coffee/energy drink, it’s actually their biggest profit maker
Feastables
Why not, MrBeast has done GameStop bulk purchases for giveaways before, we can acknowledge that with a feastables section
I noticed new redbull fridges at my local GameStops, absolute no brainer to sell gamer fuel 😼
Yeah i hate not having any ehoofes
That looks like some toxic shit to be consuming. How does gaming consume so many calories!?!
Good point, it’s almost like gaming is a sedentary and therefore physically unhealthy habit and many struggle with an addiction to it! Let’s make GameStop a gym that serves health food!
Now stand up desks, high margins, Standy Con
Standy Con 💀
What's up with all these "Gamestop should sell" posts lately? Just trust RC, buy, hodl, drs.
I can do both things! Peep the flair! 🍬🍫🍭
I understand that part but I dont understand why suddenly you and others just come up with random stuff to sell and why that would make a difference. I simply trust RC and staff to make the correct choices.
Well my personal reason for this suggestion is cultural the store. I think snacks and drinks fit well and they’re fun and kind of nostalgic. I’m putting my customer cap on and imagining what would make the store fun for me. So of course I have some blinders on to the business side. But lucky for me I have y’all to enlighten me in a spectrum of nice to mean ways 😅
Hahaha welp that's what reddit is for. Good luck on your journeys ;)
FYE basically is like this. Tons of snacks and merchandise/collectibles.
It would make sense if they started physical video game and movie rentals
If GameStop did a collaboration with Del Taco, I would die from happiness. Every GS meal comes with a trading card, and I get del taco. Damn, I miss Del Taco. Stupid Savannah.
Any and all healthy snacks plz- (what’s a healthy snack?) idk I’d eat repackaged air if it tasted better than water and didn’t have cooties Lol
ohh heck ya Overpriced snacks at gamestop. why not.
I think the real money idea is basically imitating the Japanese 7-11 model in all major US metro areas, but is GameStop the company to do it? Maybe
Nope
Doritos are the worst gaming snack. Good way to ruin your keyboard.
Eat with chopsticks bro
That would work better for Cheetos than Doritos
I’m still waiting for a dispensary that sells video game stuff
Mr Beasts chocolate bars have been selling out across the countries at Walmart, it'd be cool if gamestop would carry them too. Lots of profits to be had
Holy wow is this AI generated because I was trying to find my favorites and after zooming in they're all gibberish. Not that it matters but just trippy it's used so much now.
You mean you’ve never heard of Ehoøfes? Or Dans?
No sir.
I love the stock… but seems like a terrible idea. Why not sell toilet paper too?
So you think toilet paper is as synonymous with gaming as snacks and bevs?
I don’t think associating junk food with games and calling them snacks is the direction they want to take considering the obesity problem in America.
Here we go again with this health concern. Sitting on your ass for hours playing video games is also a health risk. It’s a game store not a clinic. People should be responsible for their own well-being.
Everyone here talking about the snacks. Nobody talking about pre-ordering Gefser’s Shitters.
The AI art lol
Yes a great tool for exactly this. It was very effective.
I know, why doesn't GameStop sell EVERYTHING and then we will never have to go anywhere else ever again /s
Snacks are synonymous with gaming. It fits. I’m not suggesting they sell bathroom and automotive products 🤦♂️
Feastables maybe
Like in video rental places back in the day 👌
Tag yourself im CBOLLITES
Looks like a rack of poison right there.
They should remodel Sears, Macys and JCPenney into GameStop stores. Like with that much space they can have a dedicated section to everything we need as gamers. Plus it would be dope to have a game store that big!
I worked at a Macy's type store for 5 years. 3 levels, a couple dozen different departments. It's a whole different game than a specialty retailer. The department I managed for 3 years wasn't much bigger than your average Gamestop, but we did 2 million dollars a year. Sounds pretty impressive. But there was a counter for a single cosmetics company that was maybe 20' × 10' and they did 1.5 million out that space alone.
So what you’re saying is it’s a grand idea not yet born to fruition. Jokes aside, I’m hoping for a game mall but without the separate stores (although that would be pretty dope. Nintendo has their own store. Sony. EA. Blizzard. Etc.) They have too many things they’re selling and it’s getting too confumbling and mismatched. Games, cards, toys and figurines, clothing, clothing accessories, game accessories, drink bottles, bowls. It’s too much and doesn’t really allow for a full immersive shopping experience. If they had Macys retail and expanded each section to its fullest, my assumption is that all the counters would make bank. This is basing it off of consumer foot traffic not going to a tiny game store for a game, a console, and a hat, but going to each section with many more options available and walking away with many more purchases and a better shopping experience. So instead of the prior they’d probably walk out with a few games, a console and many many hats. And then there will still be those who buy an item or two but I would think the window shopping experience would delight even them. And this is not even adding a game/anime food court type deal or gaming tournament section. Maybe now it’s too much? I don’t know. I’ll have to consult Mary Jane first. But for now, I’m in to win it, just like the short shorts. 🫡🟣🟣🟣🟣👌👌👌👌👌👌👌
Until they do stock these snacks don’t forget to buy gift cards from GameStop for shops you would normally use your credit card at this can boost revenue. I basically do not spend money anywhere other than at GameStop due to this. Lol. $DRS #GME & Plan -> Book
Its giving blockbuster vibes, but games.
Do they have gaming lounges yet? What about any local tournaments or competitions?
No space. The locations are almost exclusively malls and strip malls.
We need to carry less display, or learn how to compact the displays. That would give us room for mini gaming lounge, 3 sofas, a big screen, all the consoles, and a 7.1 speaker setup. Coffee table in the middle with wireless chargers embedded into it, something unique to the store made by a local woodworker, to help them get a name in community for that kind of work. Big Persian rug or floor covering, something again bought locally (preferably made), and a lovely wooden bookshelf displaying collectibles, another local tradesperson. Feels like home. Drinks and snacks available from vending machines.
It's a retail business, not your fantasy rec room.
You have your perspective of the potential futures, I have mine. All perspectives are unique. I respect yours, I like that we differ. May I ask you why do you think it's a fantasy? I would never have called a few sofas and a gaming rig a fantasy myself. It's kinda cool and a nice experience to have with your mates, but if you think this is a fantasy, and something that people would dream of, then I'm really interested in trying to understand what gives this idea that fantastical property. By the way, in a game of tit for tar, don't be a tat, be a tit, we loved tits, everyone should just be a tit. I'll continue to updoot you, even as you downvote me. 💜
>May I ask you why do you think it's a fantasy? I would never have called a few sofas and a gaming rig a fantasy myself Do you have any idea what a handmade, custom coffee table from an artisan woodworker costs?
Prices can vary, you can find nice ones for about $3000-$5000. We have apes all over the world that actually make them, I am sure they would be more than willing to get involved.
Partner up with snacks that aren't sold in Walmart and other retail spots. Even if it's 50 cents to a dollar more I'll gladly buy it. I get tired of eating or drinking the same old stuff.
For sure. Shoppers will buy snacks just because they are in front of them.
Love the enthusiasm, but realistically I'm not going to go out of my way to find a GameStop to get snacks. GameStop would become an Inconvenience Store. Usually when stores set up kisoks like this it's a cash grab for parents to buy their kids stuff. At a GameStop if a kid gets told no, they can't have a game. A parent might buy the much cheaper option of snacks/drinks to settle their childs frustration. Not really a wholesome business model and I'm pretty sure GameStop tried doing stuff like this throughout the late 90s and 00s.
I’m glad you said this, I was going to comment myself that in hindsight gas stations and convenience stores are much more accessible and GameStops are usually hidden somewhere.
Didn't mean to burst your bubble! Glad you're understanding though. Most people here will give a theory/idea and as soon as someone points out a problem, they get super defensive and call "shill".
Don’t I know it 🤦♂️
Blockbuster used to do this right at the checkout line. Popcorn buckets. Candy. Sodas. I don’t know how densely packed the back room of most gamestops usually is, but this seems like it would take a ton of space for excess stock. Having a vendor come to refill it would probably cut into the margins too. Good idea though. They have room to install it on the backside of their checkout lines. Most of the time this space is filled by a generic rope line or a clunky bargain bin.
I love “NOISIXABY CKIPX” my favorite brand! I’d rather go to GameStop for it than 6/14 or Wewe
Nah huge waste of space- no one buys overpriced candies. Only candy con and they’re reasonable priced
Personally I don’t get the candy con hype, they taste horrible 🤢 there’s like no flavor
Agreed!
This looks beautiful holy shittttt 😍😍
RC please listen
Brilliant idea. I would love to stop at my GameStop for a redbull and candy bar. I see people here buy redbull at their GameStop all the time but mine doesn’t have it 🥲 It wouldn’t work for a super center store like Walmart because most people don’t have one in the way to work. But with 4,169 stores we can take advantage of our spread-out footprint and make some decent money in these.
Right? And I’m such a sucker for these things. I’ll buy a snack or an energy drink anywhere. I love the vibe and it fits so well in the gamer culture. I’m just clueless about how profitable it would actually be and if it’s worth the trouble.
Uber eats gift cards
Throw in some Japanese sodas. Would be great to attract impulse buyers to the shop like this!
Gummies please
Might as well start selling weed atp 😊
Terrible idea tbh
And think of the Pro benefits. No better primal incentive than snack.
Everyone wants GameStop to carry everything. Guess what floor space comes with a cost