Gamestop

Rule of thumb, a good Gamestop is like a good gym, coffee shop or genie: when you find one, you hold on tight and ride the wave.
While most are solid (see my Springfield Mall review if you are looking for one to avoid due to inferior leadership…), the Gamestop in the Manoa shopping center is the «alpha».
While there, the employees gave sound, balanced advice. Where «Which console should I get (game X) for?» usually sparks nerd rage, they retorted diplomatically and advised the client «it is basically the same on either platform, which do you prefer?»
They are extremely knowledgeable, and (unlike the faux gamers one often encounters) do not upsell by pushing «what they see on their wall» but rather items that they seem genuinely interested in/​that fit the person that they are talking to. It is refreshing to hear a game described as «interesting» based on its merits, developer and pedigree rather than «Dood! You Get a Kangol Hat for ur Avatar!»
Most importantly these guy go out of their way to provide world class customer service. They advise of trade in deals, give honest feedback and have intelligence. They are super friendly and don’t look like they were locked in the basement as children (or have folks locked in their basement currently).
This store has superior management and an excellent staff — you can really see the difference when dealing with this team. They need to make this the prototype as I feel that they «get it» — simply outstanding!