Prolific video game retailer GameStop will be closing all their stores in Puerto Rico very soon. The company blames the move on “ongoing business challenges and increased governmental restraints.” All the GameStop stores in Puerto Rico will close by March 2016 which will come as a blow to fans of the establishment. There’s currently 35 stores in Puerto Rico which is a fair amount. Here’s what a company representative had to say.
“Given the ongoing business challenges and increased governmental restraints we have experienced in Puerto Rico, GameStop has made the business decision to close all of its video game stores and operations located on the island. As a result, GameStop will be exiting the Puerto Rican market by the end of March 2016. Until that time, we will continue to conduct normal business operations.”
Thanks, Steven
the purification has started commander
Of PR? Yes. Of GS, not so much.
(GS is not the first–nor will it be the last–to flee the dump that is PR in 2016.)
>>>Excellent news indeed, We erased GAME from Scandinavia and Gamestop is near extinction anytime now>>>
What’s so bad about PR? I’ve never been
It’s not that PR itself is a terrible place, it’s that its government is so badly indebted at this point that it can barely function on a daily basis, which means they are taking extreme measures to raise capital, which means massively increasing taxes on everyone and everything, when it was already very heavily taxed.
This, in turn, is driving corps out of PR left and right because you can’t make any money in a collapsing/collapsed economy when the tax regime is utterly draconian.
(PR’s #1 export of the last 20-years has been its people, alas.)
yikes, hopefully things get better there
If I was in Puerto Rico, I’d be tempted to go rob Gamestop now(even though you can pretty much find their games just as easily in the dumpsters out back).
…Puerto Rico has 35 GameStop stores?
As if gamestop was actually there to give PR a good deal on prices in the first place, it’s not like GS was putting money back into the community’s economy anyway, like all businesses, they are there to take money from that economy in order to grow it’s own company, nothing more!
I hope they don’t do this here in North America. There wouldn’t be any game stores left (not counting department stores like Walmart and Target etc., which has a game department). I still miss Play N’ Trade. I wish they’d come back.
Depending on where one lives, one will have only stores with a poor selection of software and hardware available — I’m talking about Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Toys R Us. It is impressive how those places can be either fantastic or awfully crappy when it comes to games.
People who live in places which poor offer still can get stuff through internet retailers — the aforementioned ones plus Neweeg, and Amazon — but it’s not the same thing. I still prefer go over a game stop and browse all the store by myself.
There are smaller game stores in my area, which I don’t go to as I do most of my shopping online. I don’t know how they survive, likely because it’s a few loyalists whom hate these big corporations that rip money off the consumer.
I think my Best Buy does a decent enough job with gaming, especially with most of my preorders and Gamers Unlocked.
This sucks for Puerto Rico gamers which will have one less option when buying video game-related stuff, although they can still get some merchandise directly from the US.
But still.
And, obviously, sucks even more for people who’s going to be unemployed soon. This is the most relevant problem. I hope they find a new job soon.
Ohhh NO! Now where can I sell my game for just 10% of what it cost me? And where can I buy a used game for just $3 cheaper than the original one? Where can I not find the amiibo I was looking for? Where can I take my games that they don’t consider good and PAY THEM to keep them??????
All operations? I thought they would at least keep their online store available, just as it’s available in the UK (I never saw a store, only GAME).
They blame the government but it is GameStop failure.
No, it really is the government’s fault. I live in PR and I can tell you that too many stores are jumping ship for the same reason. Heck even Walmart is SUING the PR government for the tax hike. Believe me, it’s not easy to manage a 11.5% sales tax and it’s not easy for these stores to give 80-90% of their winnings to the government when that wasn’t the agreement.
The economy is PR is devastating and it’s future is very bleak which is why citizens are fleeing to the mainland to seek a better life.
I live in Puerto Rico. Not only will they close on March, but no new shipments will come in and all preorders are closed. Which sucks because I was really looking forward to Fire Emblem Fates and Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam.
Actually part of this is true. There will not be anymore new shipments arriving BUT they will honor the pre-orders that were already made. You can call Gamestop’s 1-800 number and see for yourself. Any order that has a release date between now and March 31st will be honored. Anything beyond that date has to be canceled and given their money back.
And that’s my home nation. That’s kinda fucked up. X( PR is in dire trouble.