Dildos And Dogs: GameStop's 'Trade Anything Day' Was Chaos

"When you ask people to give you their junk in exchange for $5 coupons, they will happily do so. And if it's GameStop asking they'll apparently take it even farther, trying to pawn off sex toys, pets, and literal garbage in exchange for store credit that's valid for other garbage like FunkoPops. The meme stock retailer's " Trade Anything Day " led to viral stunts and some big headaches for the people who had to work during it."

"The rules precluded customers from bringing in stuff like hazardous chemicals, medications, and certain electronics like Meta Quest headsets, but encouraged them to trade in bizarre paraphernalia like taxidermy animals. Perhaps unsurprisingly, some people did exactly that. GameStop shared images over the weekend of what looked like a stuffed bobcat and a half-chewed goose. But those weren't the only random artifacts pawned at the gaming retailer on December 6."

"But while the video game chain was clout chasing on social, employees in stores had to manage the stunt's awkward fallout. "My trade in anything day didn't start out bad: a few odd 3D printed items, shoes, etc., etc.," one staffer, who said they were just hired back in September, wrote on the GameStop subreddit. "I then have a man come in with a LARGE bin. filled with video games. he tells me 'the video game store down the street told me i had too many for them so I came here.'""

GameStop held a "Trade Anything Day" promotion offering $5 coupons for a wide range of customer items. The promotion explicitly excluded hazardous chemicals, medications, and certain electronics while allowing unusual items such as taxidermy. Customers attempted to trade sex toys, pets, a Netflix disc for Wii, a Declaration of Independence replica, and a plastic spoon. GameStop posted images of a stuffed bobcat and a half-chewed goose. Store employees faced an influx of odd and sometimes unacceptable items, leading to awkward customer interactions, rejected trades, and staff complaints about managing the fallout.

Read at Kotaku