Walmart is one of the largest retailers of video games and video game consoles in the country. And now, they want a piece of that sweet pre-owned games pie that GameStop controls almost exclusively.
Beginning March 26, shoppers will be able to trade-in their used games at any Walmart or Sam’s Club store. Instead of cash, the retailer will offer a Walmart/Sam’s Club gift card in exchange for the games. The gift card won’t be limited to games and can be used on anything in the store or on the Walmart/Sam’s Club website. To be eligible for Walmart’s trade-in program, the games must be in playable condition and in their original box. And a Walmart employee will check them for “obvious damage such as deep scratches or cracks” before trade-in credit will be issued.
So what does Walmart plan to do with all these used games? After the company takes possession of your games, they will be shipped off to a central processing facility where they will be resurfaced and repackaged. Afterwards, they will be sold in Walmart stores as “Certified Pre-Owned” titles. The process appears to be very similar to how Best Buy currently handles used games.
