Gamestop is now a pawn shop

[Gratch]

I typically avoid Gamestop these days, but there happened to be one right next door to where I was having lunch yesterday, so I went in to trade in a couple games and pick up Fable 3.  Everything was going fine until the sales monkey shoves a paper and an ink pad in front of me and says I need to sign the sheet that has all my info on it and put a copy of my thumbprint on it.

Wait...what?

I don't know if this is a national thing or just a Utah thing (I assume state), but Gamestops are now apparently considered a "pawn shop" and are required by law to collect all the same information - including a thumbprint - that pawn shops require when they take in merchandise.  And this has to be done every single time you trade in a game.

Whelp, there went the last remaining reason for me to ever step foot in a Gamestop.  Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I'm not about to give some incompetent 16-year-old all my personal info and a copy of my fingerprints just so they can give me $7 credit on a game they're going to turn around and sell for $50.  Sorry Gamestop, we're officially through. 

[Chaz]

It's a regional thing.  State or local laws can categorize Gamestops as pawn shops and hold them to those laws.  For example, in my district when I worked there (western MA down to around the Hartford area), there were two stores that were required to hold any traded in games for 30 days prior to selling them due to town ordinance.  None of the other stores in the district had to do anything like that.

[CeeKay]

Yeah, blame The Man and not Gamestop.

[JuniorDan]

Damnnnnnn...How long have it been for you, since you been into a GameStop? Here in FL thats been the norm. for well over 5years now actually they don't take my print anymore. It maybe saved in the database now, but yeah dude they are classed as a pawn shop for good reasons to.

[Gratch]

Damnnnnnn...How long have it been for you, since you been into a GameStop? Here in FL thats been the norm. for well over 5years now actually they don't take my print anymore. It maybe saved in the database now, but yeah dude they are classed as a pawn shop for good reasons to.

This is a very recent thing out here.  I traded in a game about a month ago and there was none of that fingerprint nonsense.

[Mithridates]

Damnnnnnn...How long have it been for you, since you been into a GameStop? Here in FL thats been the norm. for well over 5years now actually they don't take my print anymore. It maybe saved in the database now, but yeah dude they are classed as a pawn shop for good reasons to.

Why would it matter how long since he's been in a GS?    I've never heard of this before and I visit Gamestops regularly.

[Isgrimnur]

This reminds me of the good old days when Gord was around and had a similar story.

[Dreamshadow]

It's a local thing.  One city in Dallas/Fort Worth said any 'Used item sales/Reselling' classified you as a pawn shop, so I had to present my TX state ID or drivers license when selling items there.  In another part of the metroplex (where I now live), there is no such restriction.

[Ridah]

It all has to do with state (maybe city?) pawn shop laws. The GameStops in California have been doing it for around 3 years now.

[The_Man]

Yeah, blame The Man and not Gamestop.

Please leave me out of this.    I know in Virginia that giving cash for anything falls under the state pawn laws and requires Gamestop to get all that personal info.  I think it's the cash that causes the issue but since each trade in has the potential to be a cash trade they have to get the info.

[kronovan]

Gamestops -actually still called Electronics Boutiques- in my city in western Canuckistan do all the paperwork and record your Drivers License #, but they don't fingerprint.

[CeeKay]

Yeah, blame The Man and not Gamestop.

Please leave me out of this.   

hey, I said The Man, not The_Man.