GRAPEVINE, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 23, 2009-- Although many families plan to continue watching their budgets this summer, family fun still remains a top priority, according to a survey commissioned by GameStop (NYSE: GME), the world’s largest retailer of video games and systems, and conducted by Harris Interactive^®. Four in five American families are planning to scale back on summer leisure activities, but parents confirmed that quality time together will play a major role in their decisions on how to wisely spend their dollars.

For example, the vast majority of parents who are planning to cut back on costly leisure activities this summer are planning to do something else instead. This includes turning to simple indulgences like eating ice cream together (62 percent) or sharing meals at home together (47 percent), and one in three (34 percent) expect to play video games together with their kids. Some of the leisure activities those families expect to scale back this summer include:

• eating out (66 percent)
• trips to theme parks or other attractions (46 percent)
• small vacations (43 percent)
• going to the movies (38 percent)

Parents who plan to do something else instead say popular and less expensive alternatives will include:

• going to free community events (63 percent)
• day trips (51 percent)
• playing video games together (34 percent)
• hiking/biking (31 percent)

For budget-conscious families (e.g., trying to stretch their dollar), the majority (87 percent) are taking advantage of coupons; two in three (64 percent) are shopping only during sales and one in four (25 percent) are looking to stores’ trade-in programs where they can save on new, used or refurbished goods.

“Quality family time does not need to be accompanied by a high price tag,” said Hillary Mendelsohn, Founder and President of thepurplebook: The Definitive Guide to Exceptional Online Shopping. “As a smart shopper and a mom, I appreciate GameStop’s trade-in program, which lets families convert old games into currency to be used for purchasing new titles. Not only does it help make the most of a family’s entertainment budget, but it also helps teach kids important lessons about managing money and making it go farther.” In fact, in 2008, GameStop returned millions of dollars to consumers that were used for obtaining new and pre-owned titles and hardware systems.

“We appreciate that American families are taking a close look at their spending this summer, and are pleased that GameStop is able to be a budget-friendly destination for entertainment that is as economical as it is fun,” said Paul Raines, Chief Operating Officer for GameStop.

Just in time for summer, GameStop is launching its Family Night In program, which is designed to help families maximize their entertainment budgets with special summer value offers and other incentives to customers who make their purchases on summer Tuesdays from June 23 to September 1. Visit www.gamestop.com/familynightin for more details.

About GameStop Corp.

Headquartered in Grapevine, TX, GameStop Corp., a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company, is the world's largest video game and entertainment software retailer. The company operates 6,244 retail stores in 17 countries worldwide. The company also operates an e-commerce site, GameStop.com, and publishes Game Informer(R) magazine, a leading multi-platform video game publication. GameStop Corp. sells new and used video game software, hardware and accessories for video game systems from Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. In addition, the company sells PC entertainment software, related accessories and other merchandise. General information on GameStop Corp. can be obtained at the company's corporate website: http://www.gamestopcorp.com.

About The Survey

The survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of GameStop Corp. between May 14 and May 18, 2009 among 2,416 adults ages 18 and older, of whom, 639 are the parent/legal guardian of a child/children living at home with them under the age of 18. Results were weighted as needed to reflect the composition of the U.S. population of adults aged 18+ using targets for region, age within gender, education, household income, race/ethnicity, and propensity to be online. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey results and methodology please contact zrivera@maloneyfox.com.

Source: GameStop

Chris Olivera
VP, Corporate Communications/Public Affairs
GameStop Corp.
(817) 722-7253
or
Beth Sharum
Manager, Corporate Communications
GameStop Corp.
(817) 722-7281