GameStop Staple Snafu Casts Early Shadow on Switch 2 Launch

Remember when GameStop's retail blunder left hundreds of customers with damaged Nintendo Switch 2 consoles after receipts were stapled right through the screens at launch?

The company hasn't forgotten, as its latest Switch 2 advertisement playfully nods to the mishap to promote new console stock arriving in stores.

"Staples not included," reads the ad posted on GameStop's social media. "Find a Switch 2 restock at GameStop today." The post features an image of the console alongside a red stapler marked with a handwritten warning: "Do Not Use On Box."

While some fans appreciated the humorous approach, others found it strange for the retailer to joke about a costly error that ruined thousands of dollars' worth of inventory.

IGN first covered GameStop's stapling issue just hours after the Switch 2 launched on the U.S. East Coast, with most reports of damage linked to a single store in Staten Island, New York.

Affected customers told IGN they only discovered the punctured screens after getting home, unboxing their new consoles, and preparing to play—finding staples used to attach receipts had pierced the Switch 2's thin cardboard packaging.

Switch 2 restocks at GameStop today.

Staples not included. pic.twitter.com/ULR8bQzG0M

— GameStop (@gamestop) June 16, 2025

This isn't the first time GameStop has referenced the incident. The retailer's social media later stated it had "addressed a unique case of staples damaging Switch 2 screens — isolated to one store."

"Replacements have been offered," GameStop wrote, accompanying the message with a GIF from the 1999 comedy *Office Space* showing office equipment being taken away. "Staplers have been confiscated."

Reacting to the latest ad, one customer commented, "You better have replaced every Switch 2 that got stapled in the first place." GameStop confirmed it had done so. Another suggested, "Auction off the stapler that ruined everything," to which the retailer responded with a thinking emoji.

Nintendo Switch 2 System and Accessories Gallery

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Although GameStop has described the problem as an isolated mistake, IGN has heard from customers of other retailers who experienced similar screen damage from stapled boxes. Some fans have also questioned Nintendo's packaging design, noting that the console's outward-facing screen in the box makes it vulnerable to damage.

IGN previously reached out to Nintendo for comment on the issue, but the company referred us back to GameStop's official statement.