Game Stop opens a copy of the game to remove the disc so the box can be displayed to let people know they have it in stock. If they only have one copy of the game, that one gets "gutted". The logic they run on is that a game is still new if it's never touched a system. If the manual/box is missing for a new title, you can get a discount if you push for it.
Also, they don't thrive on pre-sales. For the most part, they don't give a shit if you're interested in a new title; all those pre-orders do is influence the amount of a given title that they receive (so they can chide you on not pre-ordering an obscure title if it's not in-stock on release day). The company itself thrives on used games, where they buy games off suckers for $5-10 on average (rare/new titles may net you up to $25! And it's not uncommon for games to get less than $5 either), and then turn around and sell it for 2-10x the price (sometimes more).
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