[Image Description: Background is several triangles in a circle like a pie alternating from true red, scarlet and black. A robin is sitting on his perch looking to the right.
Top Text: “PEOPLE BITCH THAT YOU GOT A JOB IN A GAME SHOP AND “AREN’T A GAMER”.”
Bottom Text: “IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF GAME CONTENT REQUIRED FOR ABOUT 1% OF YOUR JOB.”]
I applied for about 30 jobs before the Christmas break (no prior retail experience makes job-hunting a bitch, as I’m sure every Robin can testify.) I got lucky in a game shop, getting a resume in the very day they had begun to organize group interviews, and I got the job, because I’m friendly and confident and useful. At no point in the interview process did anyone ask me how many consoles I owned, how many hours a week I spent playing games, etc. They asked me when I was available, how I was under pressure, how I was with multitasking and long hours and taking instruction and taking initiative and getting people to buy things. You know, the shit you actually need in retail.
In six months working there, I have had exactly two case of a customer asking me to recommend a game for them - and I was able to help both customers based on my general knowledge of games (which, SURPRISE, develops beyond “general” pretty quickly when you work in a game shop!) Nobody has ever been exasperated or disappointed that I can’t answer specific questions about gameplay. Often I can, anyway, because the important information is in my damn computer, or I can look it up on my phone, or a coworker or friend has played the game and told me about it. And for the record, I DO play games. I’ve got a decent PC and a DS. I’m just apparently “not a gamer”, because I haven’t passed some mystical elite nerd exam somewhere?
I’m good at my job, I take pride in my work and I put a lot of effort into finding answers for customers who need to know something I can’t help them with. I’m kind of tired of being put down by people who think they could do my job better than me because they’ve actually played Halo or whatever. It’s not really my fault that I work somewhere awesome and you work somewhere shitty! Hand in a resume if you’re that great, I’m sure one of the stores would love to have you!
It’s funny though because I bet you anything, the same people that would bitch about it are the same gamers that hate shopping at GameStop anyway, so I don’t know why they care.
Also, I’ve worked at GameStop, and you really need to be a salesperson, not a gamer. It helps but it’s not going to keep you your job if you can’t get people to subscribe to Game Informer or to pre-order games. Which people who have never worked at GameStop have no idea about, it seems.
![fuckyeahretailrobin:
[Image Description: Background is several triangles in a circle like a pie alternating from true red, scarlet and black. A robin is sitting on his perch looking to the right.Top Text: “PEOPLE BITCH THAT YOU GOT A JOB IN A GAME SHOP AND “AREN’T A GAMER”.”Bottom Text: “IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF GAME CONTENT REQUIRED FOR ABOUT 1% OF YOUR JOB.”]
I applied for about 30 jobs before the Christmas break (no prior retail experience makes job-hunting a bitch, as I’m sure every Robin can testify.) I got lucky in a game shop, getting a resume in the very day they had begun to organize group interviews, and I got the job, because I’m friendly and confident and useful. At no point in the interview process did anyone ask me how many consoles I owned, how many hours a week I spent playing games, etc. They asked me when I was available, how I was under pressure, how I was with multitasking and long hours and taking instruction and taking initiative and getting people to buy things. You know, the shit you actually need in retail.
In six months working there, I have had exactly two case of a customer asking me to recommend a game for them - and I was able to help both customers based on my general knowledge of games (which, SURPRISE, develops beyond “general” pretty quickly when you work in a game shop!) Nobody has ever been exasperated or disappointed that I can’t answer specific questions about gameplay. Often I can, anyway, because the important information is in my damn computer, or I can look it up on my phone, or a coworker or friend has played the game and told me about it. And for the record, I DO play games. I’ve got a decent PC and a DS. I’m just apparently “not a gamer”, because I haven’t passed some mystical elite nerd exam somewhere?
I’m good at my job, I take pride in my work and I put a lot of effort into finding answers for customers who need to know something I can’t help them with. I’m kind of tired of being put down by people who think they could do my job better than me because they’ve actually played Halo or whatever. It’s not really my fault that I work somewhere awesome and you work somewhere shitty! Hand in a resume if you’re that great, I’m sure one of the stores would love to have you!
It’s funny though because I bet you anything, the same people that would bitch about it are the same gamers that hate shopping at GameStop anyway, so I don’t know why they care.
Also, I’ve worked at GameStop, and you really need to be a salesperson, not a gamer. It helps but it’s not going to keep you your job if you can’t get people to subscribe to Game Informer or to pre-order games. Which people who have never worked at GameStop have no idea about, it seems.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2v2sqOwkq1qm3qzeo1_400.jpg)
