Game Stop and Sims 3

Last night I paid an ill advised visit to the Game Stop in Bellevue Square (ok, 2 strikes against it for being located in the heart of evil and for being, well, a Game Stop). I just wanted to pick up the new Sims game, which is an emberassing public admission. I haven't played a Sims game since they released their puppy and kitten expansion pack for the first Sims title, so I thought I would grab it for a bit of mindless summer entertainment, and also to cover the net downtime and hassle I'm bound to face as I get ready to move out of my apartment. What can I say, I'm a chick and I love building houses and gardens...anyway, equivocating about my purchase aside, I was reminded why I never go into Game Stop stores:

1) pushy sales clerk who I tried to avoid in the incredibly small store
2) he was the only person on staff, so when the 10 year old ahead of me at the register started asking questions I had to wait. And wait. And wait. This kid bit on everything "do you want to buy a strategy guide? 10% off." "Would you like to order? E3 just happened so there's lots to preorder."
3) The highlight of it all was when the kid asked what was available to pre order, and the clerk started listing other Blizzard games (the kid was buying a game pad to play WoW with, which made me cringe pleanty). When the clerk semi excitedly (the guy was practically comatose) said "you can preorder Starcraft 2" the kid actually said "Star Craft? what's that?" and his mom actually asked "you mean Star Wars?" so in an effort to speed things along I chimed in that "it was an RTS game released before you were born by Blizzard." Kid has probably never heard of Diablo either.
4) Anyway, kid and mom finally finished their business, and I got to buy my copy of Sims 3, which aparently I was getting the LAST copy of, because they gave me the damn display copy. I really hate when they do that.
5) Feeling the need to defend myself from the clerk's "you're buying a shitty game and you're a chick therefore you are a fake gamer" look, I wound up chatting about Blizzard games. After I said I played WoW he asked me the dumbest question ever: "what level". SERIOUSLY. WHAT LEVEL. The 10 year old kid probably has 3 level 80 characters. It was the most insulting question I've been asked in a long time. So I said 80 and he asked a less insulting question: Horde or Alliance, to which I replied both. Then he asked what class and I told him I played a hunter since the open beta and he finally shut up. Before asking me if I wanted to preorder any games, because E3 just happened and games like Starcraft 2 are now available for pre order. SERIOUSLY.

/facepalm