GameStop Raises $15,000 for a Broken, Stapled Switch 2

Oh wow, so get this—console launches, kinda a big deal right? Like, people circle the date on their calendars with a big red marker. And GameStop? Yeah, they thrive on these moments—everyone knows that. It’s this magical land where true gaming nerds gather, a sorta mecca for the joystick-worshippers. When the talks started about GameStop selling busted up Switch 2 consoles, you’d think their headquarters would be one giant alarm clock ringing like mad. Total chaos, maybe. But instead, they swung totally the other way. Confusing, right? They were actually cool with it. Their PR team? Definitely busy bees!

Picture this: You’re all hyped, $500 saved up, and the last thing you want is a console with a receipt literally punched onto its screen! It paints an odd picture, and maybe you’re thinking, “Should I even risk buying from GameStop now?” Those fears went viral, especially after it all went down in Staten Island, NYC. People over there got hit hardest—dozens had to deal with their consoles looking like they were from a stapler commercial. But, hey, it’s not like it happened all over the place.

GameStop’s response? Well, they tried to patch things up pretty quick. Gathered extra consoles from nearby stores, swapped ’em out for the damaged ones—handled it, in other words. Online, they joked about it all, cleverly owning the slip-up. “Staplers have been confiscated,” they boldly declared, with a cheeky nod to Office Space.

And then, bam! The promotion rolled out: 20% trade-in bonus if you bought a Switch 2 elsewhere. Crafty much? It almost seemed like a sneaky ploy to boost their Google search stats or something. Usually trade-ins don’t go hand-in-hand with paper receipts because, seriously, who holds onto those? Unless you’re super organized or something, which admittedly, I’m not.

Fast forward a month. GameStop, in full-on ‘own it’ mode, rolled out a charity auction hilariously dubbed “Staplegate.” Imagine this: the infamous stapler, a defective console, and—believe it or not—the very staple that started all this chaos. Proceeds to Children’s Miracle Network hospitals—kinda heartwarming, right? They’ve raked in 15 grand so far, with days left to go. Over 100 bids already! Weirdly impressive, but there you go.

Ryan Cohen, GameStop’s head honcho, tosses out this funny letter. It’s full-on tongue-in-cheek, basically saying, “Yeah, not great, but hey, hopefully, this does some good.” I mean, what a ride, right? Who knew a stapler could be a celebrity!