GameStop may be a victim of the move to digital gaming but its tactics to remain financially viable and relevant in the industry have been controversial. In its latest strategy however, GameStop shows that there’s really no ceiling for the level of crazy it hopes to achieve.
Sometime next year, GameStop is set to roll out its own credit card service. Crazy? Wait till you read the fine print.
Doing so unveils a staggering detail that is sure to startle even the most jaded of credit card users. Existing credit cards, have a national average interest rate of about 14.58% but GameStop is charging 26.99%- nearly double the amount!
It isn’t clear yet what the reasoning behind this is but given how the traditional brick and mortar shops that deal with physical copies of video games are finding it difficult to compete with their quicker and easier to access digital counterparts, it is logical to assume the much higher interest rate was implemented to ensure that financially, GameStop can still make more than a pretty penny.
In an effort to entice gamers to pick up this deal, GameStop have begun offering basic members bonus points of 5,000 while pro reward members who are tied to a $14.99 annual subscription are offered 15,000 bonus points. Further ‘bonuses’ include special financing options and exclusive offers, which presumably are related to timed DLCs, special costume packs and the likes.
With this move, it’s difficult to feel that GameStop is still about ‘Power to the Players’ instead of ‘Powering to the Players’ wallets’.
Fortunately, most people would probably avoid throwing money at a service like this and will be right in their actions. It is, inherently a ludicrous move.
Perhaps in time and with enough constructive backlash, GameStop can be made to see the error of its intent and hopefully, roll out a service that is both logical and respectful to its loyal customers.
