'I got written up for preferring Playstation over Nintendo': Retail associate gets reported and reprimanded for recommending wrong console to kid

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Oct 21, 2023 12:00 PM EDT

The 00s "console wars" were absolutely nuts, looking back… with fervent fanboys rabidly backing the corporation that they had elected to give their disposable income to as if they had a personal stake in the success of the company. Forums were filled with arguments over which console was better, and what features or exclusive games were offered that made the console of their backing.

Love it or hate it (and I'm sure even today, this statement will spark controversy), the Wii was a clear winner. With over 100 million consoles sold—even your grandma probably had one. Sure, it wasn't a gamer's favorite console, and, amidst other criticism of the casual nature of the console, Nintendo still has yet to get online play correct, but the sheer ubiquity of the Wii's presence and the legacy it left (eventually) in the form of the Switch solidify its place as the winner of the console wars.

But, the point is people were tribal about these electronic bricks. This retail associate shared their experience of experiencing a customer complaint because they told a customer they preferred the "wrong" console, which ended up with them getting written up by their employer.

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  • 01
    Facial expression - "I got written up for preferring Playstation over Nintendo."
    via u/FrozenFire73
  • 02
    Font - Posted by u/Frozen Fire73 3 hours ago Got Written up for Preferring the Playstation over Nintendo Long Back in 2007 I, a 23m at the time, worked for a large video game chain. Now this was shortly after the Nintendo Wii came out and we were always sold out. Every morning, we would have a line of customers that would wait around for our daily deliveries to see if we had any new Wiis coming in.
    via u/FrozenFire73
  • 03
    Font - So one evening I was working a fairly slow shift and these two kids came in and started chatting with my coworker and I. Both of them were probably around 14 years old and came around frequently. One of the kids started talking about how great and wonderful the Nintendo Wii was. He started asking for my opinion and I simply told him that it was a good console but that I was not a fan of the idea of motion controls and didn't want to get one. I went on to say that I was more of a fan of th
    via u/FrozenFire73
  • 04
    Font - He started to lose his mind over this. Well, I should say that he pretended to lose his mind over this. You could tell that he wasn't really upset that I didn't like the Wii and that he just wanted to mess with me. He started to demand that I say that the Wii was the greatest and that there was no other better console. To be honest, it was getting to be a bit much. I just stood my ground and continued to say that the Wii was not something that I liked.
    via u/FrozenFire73
  • 05
    Font - The kid started getting really frustrated because I would not say what he wanted me to say. At this point I think he was starting to get upset for real instead of just messing with me. He then pulled out the manager card. He told me that he knew the District Manager and that if I did not say that the Wii was the best console out there that he would report me. Now anyone that works in retail has probably heard that line before, so I brushed it off and kept my position.
    via u/FrozenFire73
  • 06
    Font - The kid and his friend eventually stomped off and I thought that was the end of it. I was wrong. This kid actually knew the District Manager. He ended up going to the District Manager and came up with some lie about how I was extremely re and an overall jok to him. The District Manager immediately wrote me up. She did not talk to my Store Manager or my coworker who was there that night before putting in the paperwork.
    via u/FrozenFire73
  • 07
    Font - After writing me up the District Manager called my Store Manager to go over the writeup. My Store Manager was shocked. She immediately defended me saying that there was no way that I would treat a customer that way. The District Manager at this point realizes that she may have been a little rash in her decision to write me up and asks the Store Manager to investigate the event.
    via u/FrozenFire73
  • 08
    Font - My coworker and I arrived that afternoon and sat down with the Store Manager. She tells me that I have been written up because I was role to some kid. I tell her my side of the story and my coworker tells her what he saw as well. My Store Manager went back to the District Manager, told my side of the story and as well as my coworker's version. The District Manager ended up going back to the kid and figured out that he had lied to her.
    via u/FrozenFire73
  • 09
    Font - The next time that I had to work, I got a face to face visit from the District Manager. She starts apologizing to me about writing me up without even looking into the event in question. But she told me that she cannot undo the writeup, that once the paperwork goes through that it cannot be undone. I always wonder if she could have reversed the writeup but said that she couldn't in order to save her own skin.
    via u/FrozenFire73
  • 10
    Font - As for the kid, he was forced to give me an apology. The Store Manager gave me the option on whether he would be banned from the store. I was even given the option to permanently ban him but I didn't want him bitter over a stupid mistake. I ended up making the ban for something like 3 months. I never did see that kid after he got banned, even after the ban had been lifted. I kind of wonder if he was too embarrassed to show up while I worked. Nowadays I actually prefer Nintendo over Playst
    via u/FrozenFire73
  • 11
    Font - Zloiche1 3 hr. ago I would have worn a shirt with the playstation when he apologized. 30 Reply Share ●●●
    via u/FrozenFire73
  • 12
    Font - neophenx 2 hr. ago · I'd demand District Manager add a signed-and-dated note to the writeup saying that the entire writeup was invalid if she couldn't outright remove it. 25 Reply Share ●●●
    via u/FrozenFire73
  • 13
    Font - Believe_Steve 1 hr. ago I'm laughing at the "can't undo the write up" bs. It's a fricken game store, not a missile silo. And now it's on your Permanent Record. ↑ 10 Reply Share
    via u/FrozenFire73
  • 14
    Font - Violetsme 2 hr. ago • Look up your local rights as an employee in case something like this ever happens again. Where I live, we're allowed to add our side of the story as a letter to our file for any write-up. Employers don't tell people this but they do have to add it to the file upon request. Somehow, sometimes the letter can't be attached to the warning because it no longer exists. Reply Share 4
    via u/FrozenFire73
  • 15
    Font - JMPesce 2 hr. ago ● I'd have permanently banned him...from every store of your chain in the state. But I'm petty like that. 2 Reply Share
    via u/FrozenFire73

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playstation talesfromretail console wars retail gaming gamers online gaming pc gaming xbox video games wii nintendo
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