14 DAY TRIAL // GameStop is one of the biggest gaming related chains of stores out there. They really have some interesting services but the most talked about is the buy-back one. Essentially, you can come with an old game you own and, in exchange, the store will buy it from you. Although many have argued that the money offered by the store isn't earned fairly, and that they don't really appreciate the games at their true value, it is a good endeavor. But this system has its faults, as undercover policemen went to a store in Memphis and tried to fence a clerk over stolen games, which he accepted without asking any question.
This resulted in the man and other employees’ arrest. All of the eight employees confessed guilty to the crime of theft of property and are now serving one year probation, after which, depending on their behavior, will have their records cleared. The clerks accepted the undercover policemen's offer and bought quite a lot of stolen games from them.
An official statement came soon from GameStop, through the voice of their regional vice president, Rory Rhoads. “GameStop takes this situation quite seriously. We are pleased to partner with the ALERT Unit and have taken very deliberate steps to improve our operations. Specifically, we have suspended our cash-for-trade transactions in Shelby County and DeSoto County, Mississippi until February 2009.” In other words, for all of their 18 outlets in the Memphis area, the company has suspended any other trade of games and has took extra precautions in order to ensure that these incidents never happen again.
Although this case isn't all that serious, it really has tarnished the image of GameStop. The employees found guilty will definitely have a hard time finding another place to work after this incident.