How Much Does Gamestop Pay? Average Salaries For Employees

Employees at GameStop know all too well the pay can use some improvement. Still, that doesn’t prevent people from applying and hoping for an opportunity to join the nation’s largest video game retail company. So how much does Gamestop pay?

In this article, you will learn more about GameStop, the benefits of working for GameStop, and the answer to the question, how much does Gamestop pay?

About GameStop
How Much Does Gamestop Pay?
Benefits Of Working For Gamestop
What GameStop Employees Cannot Do
Conclusion
References:
Recommendations

About GameStop

GameStop Corp. is a video game, consumer electronics, and gaming merchandise retailer based in the United States. The company is headquartered in Grapevine, Texas (a Dallas suburb) and is the world’s largest video game retailer.

As of January 30, 2021, the company operated 4,816 stores under the GameStop, EB Games, EB Games Australia, Micromania-Zing, ThinkGeek, and Zing Pop Culture brands, including 3,192 in the United States, 253 in Canada, 417 in Australia, and New Zealand, and 954 in Europe. Babbage’s was founded in Dallas in 1984 and adopted its current name in 1999.

The company’s performance declined in the mid-late 2010s because of the shift in video game sales to online shopping and downloads and GameStop’s failed investments in smartphone retail. However, the company’s stock price skyrocketed in 2021 due to a quick squeeze orchestrated by members of the Internet forum r/wallstreetbets.

Because of its stock price volatility and the GameStop short squeeze, the company received significant media attention in January and February 2021. The company is now 521st on the Fortune 500 list. Aside from retail stores, GameStop owns and publishes Game Informer, a video game magazine, and operates Zing Marketplace in Australia, an retro e-commerce gaming and pop culture marketplace that facilitates consumer-to-consumer sales.

How Much Does Gamestop Pay?

Salaries for entry-level employees are low, but this company prefers to hire younger, more energetic employees. As a result, it’s relatively easy to find qualified candidates for these associate positions because many teens and young adults are drawn to jobs that involve gaming equipment and accessories.

The average pay and salaries for all store positions are listed below.

How Much Does Gamestop Pay Seasonal Sales Associates?

Every year, GameStop hires seasonal workers to meet the increased sales volume. This allows people to be hired full-time if they can demonstrate their worth to their management teams.

The average hourly wage for seasonal workers is around $8.50. Your employment will typically last four months or less, from September to January or February of the following year.

If you take $8.50 per hour and work an average of 25 hours per week for 12 weeks, you’ll make about $212.50 per week and $2,250 for that period.

How Much Does Gamestop Pay Sales Associate?

The average hourly wage for a sales associate is around $9.65. With this hourly rate, you can expect a weekly check of around $337 and a yearly salary of around $17,563.

If you want to stay at this company for a long time, your goal should be to work your way up to shift leader. This would increase your pay by nearly $3.00 per hour, and you would most likely be given more work hours.

How Much Does Gamestop Pay Shift Lead?

A shift leader earns an average of $12.85 per hour, which equates to $514 per week. Your yearly salary would be approximately $26,728 if you worked at least 40 hours per week for the entire work year.

In this position, taking charge of the store and relieving the pressure on your management team is critical. You can accomplish this by providing customers with expertise, closing sales quickly, and guiding sales associates to success during your shifts.

How Much Does Gamestop Pay Assistant Store Manager?

An assistant store leader earns $13.85 per hour. The weekly salary will be around $554, and the yearly salary will be around $28,808 or much higher, depending on how many overtime hours you work.

Overtime hours increase significantly during the holidays, so plan on making the most money with your paycheck from October to December.

How Much Does Gamestop Pay Store Manager?

Store managers at this retail video game store are paid hourly, as opposed to most other retail stores, which pay their management personnel yearly. This gives you an advantage if you want to be a store leader.

The average hourly rate for this position is approximately $19.95 per hour, which equates to a yearly base salary of $41,500. In general, you’ll be able to increase your yearly salary by working extra hours.

In a fairly busy store with plenty of sales, you can earn between $45,000 and $50,000 annually on average.

How Much Does Gamestop Pay District Manager?

A GameStop district leader’s annual salary is approximately $84,350. Salary ranges from $71,400 to $113,500 per year.

This position puts you in charge of ensuring the success of all the stores in your district. You’ll be very busy keeping track of employee turnover rates, but you’ll also be able to celebrate your employees’ advancement within the company.

Benefits Of Working For Gamestop

Employees Reporting
Paid Holidays / Vacation
Paid Sick Leave
Company Store Discount
Casual Dress/Atmosphere
401(k)
Life Insurance/Disability
Flex-Time / Flexible Schedule
Profit-Sharing
Defined Contribution Pension Plan

What GameStop Employees Cannot Do

Don’t Expect A Big Discount

Some stores will give you a 15% discount on certain store items, but this is uncommon. It’s more likely that you’ll be able to get a 10% discount that applies only to you and no one else. You may not give discounts to others and must accept that certain games and accessories are simply off-limits. While 10% may be worth it for some, getting a few dollars off a brand-new game isn’t much of a perk at all for others. Combining this with the minimum wage makes you wonder if it’s all a joke.

Not Being A Salesman Is Not An Option

Occasionally, you’ll come across a sales associate who genuinely enjoys the gaming industry and will do you a favor by being honest and not trying to upsell you something. However, this is contrary to GameStop policy—sales associates must meet certain quotas for the store, which includes not allowing you to leave the counter until you’ve heard all of their add-on features. Furthermore, if you ask for assistance, they are responsible for promoting specific games and editions, whether they are something you are looking for.

They Can’t Give You Full Credit For A Returned Game

This may appear to be a ruse, but it is not. If you buy a new game and return it within a few hours, it is still considered “used.” Some employees will make an exception, but they are not supposed to refund the full price of a game.

While some exceptions exist for specific games, the company aims to make money rather than give it back. If a game is returned opened, there is no way to avoid reselling it as a “used” copy, even if it was only in your system for 15 minutes.

Managers’ Quotas Are Ridiculously Strict

It’s no secret that the management at GameStop has a high turnover rate. Many employees testify that some managers are only in place for six months. This is most likely due to the high monthly quota each store must meet. The quotes frequently have unrealistic goals that push management and staff to play more games on customers, resulting in an unpleasant and sometimes pushy environment. If a store consistently misses its sales targets, it spells trouble for the employees.

They Must Become Familiar With “Gutting.”

Repackaging a game so that the display box can be stored on a shelf is known as gutting. Because GameStop normally does not keep their games on the shelf to prevent theft, these copies are “emptied” of the original, extra boxes, and while the box is placed on the shelf, the game is stored elsewhere, awaiting a sale. This strategy is used to sell a game whose original box is still on the shelf after all the new copies have been sold. Employees have to sell the open, emptied copy at some point.

Expect To Work Days Before And Following Holidays

Most employees may not request time off before or after a major holiday unless there are extenuating circumstances or prior notice. These are often the busiest days for stores like GameStop, so they hire everyone to handle the store.

Managers already work 60+ hours a week, so you’re unlikely to find sympathy there.

Working in retail isn’t glamorous, and it’s even less enjoyable when you’re still stuffed from the night before and exhausted from the holidays.

Even If You’re Uninterested, You Must Be On Top Of New Game Knowledge

While being a semi-professional gamer isn’t required to work at GameStop, you must be familiar with most game releases. This is pretty obvious, but if a child or parent walks in and asks what a new game is about, what the rating is, what consoles it’s intended for, and so on—you’d better be prepared to provide an answer. Knowing when games will be released and how much each edition will cost is just as important, and it’s all part of the job at GameStop.

When Taking In Devices, You Must Pay Close Attention To Detail

Something like this could get you in a lot of trouble. While GameStop accepts consoles for resale, they are responsible for thoroughly inspect each one and make notations of anything wrong with it. They may also refuse a system, but if they don’t double-check everything and overlook a major detail, it could lead to resell issues. If this occurs, not only is the store left with a faulty console, but you are also left with some severe consequences.

Customers Are Not Refunded For Poor DLC Codes

Another source of rage from customers is a DLC code that has expired or does not work. Customers will not be refunded, which often causes stress and tension for sales associates, who can only apologize and offer an alternate solution to their dud of a code. They may not issue any refund because doing so causes the store to lose money, and you can imagine how much they would lose if this happened with every bad code.

You Can’t Avoid a Customer Simply Because You Don’t Know What They’re Looking For

It is your responsibility as a sales associate to speak with each customer. That means you can’t skip customers or wait in the back until they go to someone else if you know nothing about the game. You can refer them to another sales associate who may be able to assist them, but it’s best to try to be knowledgeable about the most basic of information. If a manager discovers you avoid certain customers, you will be in even more trouble.

Renting Games Is Possible, But There Is a 48-Hour Time Limit

Aside from the (minor) discount, renting and taking home games is the second perk. GameStop employees are permitted to do so, but there is a catch. The rental will only be valid for 48 hours before employees must return to renew or return their rental. While two days may not seem like enough time to play a game, employees are lucky to have access to it at all.

As An Associate, You may Not Receive a Commission

Associates are required to act as salespeople but are not compensated for large sales. It doesn’t matter how many Wiis or Nintendo Switches you sell in a day; your pay is the same at the end.

This can discourage for employees who work extremely hard at their jobs because the best they can do is hope for a raise based on their stellar performance and sales history.

Becoming a Keyholder Hourly Means Unavoidable Routines

Being a keyholder for GameStop may sound glamorous because it means you’re the first in and last out of the store, but with responsibility comes monotonous routines. If you’re starting, you’ll have a long list of responsibilities to fulfill, most of which will overlap with the hours the store is open, which means you’ll be doing double duty. This includes scanning every item in the store to update logs, then returning to fix whatever was purchased before you were finished.

You Can’t Avoid Testing a Game Before Accepting It As a Trade-In

Many stores will set up portable TVs so associates can test out a console or game before accepting it as a legitimate trade-in. Because the game will either run or not, this can be an interesting experience. If it doesn’t, associates have the legal right to refuse it, but they can’t avoid inspecting and/or testing the equipment or game itself. As a result, the trade-in process has become lengthy and somewhat tedious.

You Must Read The Game Ratings To Parents

If a parent is buying a game for their child, be aware that if the rating is M for “mature,” you must inform the parent. Furthermore, you must read the entire rating, including why it was given that rating. This is a simple thing to forget, which means it’s an elementary thing to be blamed for if a parent brings a mature game home for their underage child. There’s no way around it because you can’t avoid customers.

Conclusion

Now you know: how much does Gamestop pay? Although Gamestop’s pay could use an improvement, they provide good benefits and a reasonably comprehensive package to its employees. It should be noted that these benefits do not apply to individuals who work fewer than a predetermined number of hours per year.