Destruction of “Pennied Out” Items
When GameStop carries an item for a very long time, past the point where it would generally sell, they do what’s called “penning it out.” What this means is that the cost of the item is set to $.01 and it is permanently removed from the company’s system. These items often come in the form of strategy guides, minor toys, or other small miscellaneous items. You’re probably wondering what GameStop does with these items. Well, it definitely isn’t what they should.
Instead of opting to create a small bin of almost free items or even donating them out, the company instead instructs the employees to gather the items together and take them out to the trash to be discarded and destroyed. It is against company policy to do anything else with these items. The employees can’t take them (though some do), they cannot be given out, nor can they even be sold. It’s a practice that legitimately makes no sense and just serves to be a complete waste of time and resources.
