Struggling retailer GameStop to begin accepting game trade-ins for JUULpods

As the Grim Reaper of the retail apocalypse inches ever closer to once household-name mall stores, one retailer is trying out a unique new strategy.

GameStop – formerly a goliath of the new and used game market, has found its cheese moved in an industry shifting towards digital content. If you’ve visited one of their stores recently, you may have noticed a bit of an identity crisis.

Are they a game store with a toy section? A Funko Pop! boutique with leftover graphic tees from Spencer’s Gifts? An internet meme existing solely for clickbait YouTubers to claim they were forced to lick used controllers clean while working there?

We posed these questions to GameStop CEO George Sherman:

“We’ve been throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. At the same time our lease portfolio was still bloated from the many past acquisitions.“

“In one case we had no idea there were two mall stores directly across from each other. I think we’ll just ask one of the stores to re-price their entire inventory every 6 hours until they all quit.” explained Sherman.

“There was significant brainstorming on ways to return us to profitability.”

Among the ideas considered by GameStop leadership were:

Creating a store section for fap-fiction, visual novel games, and onacups.

Posting virgin/chad memes everywhere until exactly 3 people on Twitter are offended.

Selling fursuits and partnering with Bad Dragon.

Focusing on the “cultural experience” of being smashed between two dozen displays stuffed into 1,000-square-feet of floor space.

“Ultimately we decided on something perfectly aligned with our customer demographics.”

“Today I’m announcing GameStop’s partnership with JUUL, a leader in vape and e-cig products.”

GameStop will soon sell and allow trades towards JUUL products, with an emphasis on games-for-JUULpods trades. They’ve provided a conversion chart below with merchandise expected to be traded most frequently: