Misadventures in Funcoland: The Long Haul

Location: Sterling Heights, MI.
Notable Gaming Release: Quest 64 for the N64

It was the summer before I went off to college at Eastern Michigan University and I was working at the Sterling Heights (SH) store, almost completely alone.  Mon – Saturday, open to close, just me.  On sundays, ManagerPart2 would come in and take care of the paper work that I wasn’t able to do.  I mean, after all, I was only 19 and running the store pretty much by myself, can’t expect me to know how to balance the books on my own can ya?  If there is any one thing about the Sterling Heights store that you should know, it is that it was one of the slowest stores in the entire company.  I think on a good day I would sell $50 worth of shit unless someone bought a system.  So as you can see, this store was really really really slow.  I spent maybe 1 hour every morning straightening up and dusting after a couple weeks of organising the place.  The rest of the time… playing video games!

Misadventures in Funcoland: The IBGP

A long time ago in a state far far away (Michigan), I was working for Funcoland.  Recently, I was sharing stories with a friend whom I’d grown up with in Michigan that was in NYC from DC as he had once worked for Babbage’s in a similar capacity.  If you’re not familiar with Funcoland and/or Babbage’s, then that just goes to show the age difference between you and I.  If you know of Game Stop, know that Funcoland was bought out by Babbage’s and was turned into Gamestop.

Some quick background on my time at Funcoland:  I started working there in the fall of 1997 when I was 18.  I had graduated high school in June and quickly began a lucrative career in canine and feline sustenance allocation … I was a stock boy for a pet supply store, this diploma was soooo worth it!  After several months of slinging pet supplies, I found that the physical labor awoke a condition with my left shoulder and I had to find a new means of gainful employment.

I just happened into a Funcoland in Clinton Twp. Michigan as I was looking into picking up a Playstation.  I got to chatting with the manager and he asked if I was looking for a job.  The rest I’m sure you figured out by now.

What I plan to do with this series of posts is to share some of the more interesting stories that I have saved in my dome piece from my 3+ years working for Funcoland.  They will come in no particular order other than when I can remember them.  Though I will quote conversations, these will obviously be approximations since these stories take place about 10 years ago.  I will change up names to protect the innocent, though I don’t think there is anything to be criminalized of all these years later but hey…  So let’s get this party started.