is gamestop open during coronavirus

In a memo to GameStop locations across the country, the company asked its store managers to resist any attempts to close their business over coronavirus fears. GameStop telling customers everything is being elaborately cleaned even when stores aren’t getting those supplies. File image: A GameStop video game store in the Herald Square shopping district in New York. CNMN Collection Anders Bylund is a Foolish Technology and Entertainment Specialist. We have received reports of local authorities visiting stores in an attempt to enforce closure despite our classification. Hypoallergenic. 90 Meat Outlet in Springfield temporarily closing after employee tests positive for coronavirus, Coronavirus causes Massachusetts Gov. Still, GameStop is hardly the kind of retailer that needs to stay open during a pandemic. All Rights Reserved, GameStop will finally close all of its stores due the coronavirus pandemic, ‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ might not be your cup of Swig. Video game retailer GameStop is trying a curious move to keep stores open during the coronavirus quarantines and lockdowns. Sure, some might prefer the permanence of physical games or find lengthy downloads inconvenient. See you at the top! Our priority has been and continues to be on the well-being of our employees, customers and business partners. Charlie Baker to issue stay at home advisory, closing all non-essential businesses, Coronavirus in Massachusetts: Grocery stores must mark ‘social distancing line,’ close remaining self-serve food stations, Visit MassLive.com, Springfield, Mass. Read below to catch up on a reverse chronological account of how we got here. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. "As millions of Americans look to GameStop to adjust to their new normal of increased time at home, for work, learning and play, we have implemented practices to help ensure the safety and health of our employees, customers and partners," GameStop CEO George Sherman said in a statement. But now? Market data powered by FactSet and Web Financial Group. “We’re enabled to go out to purchase these items ourselves and have them expensed,” a San Francisco-area store employee told Kotaku. Closing stores for several months won't help, either. GameStop, like other companies, is taking precautionary measures against the spread of the coronavirus. WIRED Media Group You must login or create an account to comment. “They said we can use gloves but [the company] cannot provide them so it’s up to us to find them.”. GameStop sent employees a memo claiming it is “essential retail” during the coronavirus pandemic, and can thus stay open during local lockdowns. Already, a wide range of retail chains, from Apple and Macy's to Nike and Hot Topic, have voluntarily closed all locations for at least a couple of weeks. Believes in coyotes and time as an abstract. It makes sense that GameStop is trying to stay open at all costs, but it's not going to work. The company has pledged to pay employees affected by the closure for an additional two weeks, and to provide employee benefit contributions for a month. ", “They are demanding standard trades and tech trades so we are handling a lot of unknown goods,” a separate GameStop worker told Polygon. Sign up or login to join the discussions! ", Update (3/19/2020 5:04pm ET): Vice and Kotaku are reporting that multiple GameStop store associates have received a memo from the company's corporate offices saying that the stores should be considered "essential retail and therefore [are] able to remain open during this time." Those who violate the executive order and guidance in Massachusetts could face a $300 fine and, if multiple offenses are alleged, a $500 fine or prison time, according to the state Department of Public Health’s guidance on the executive order. Report: GameStop Tells Store Managers To Defy Local Authorities And Remain Open During Coronavirus Pandemic (Updated) I expect that the pressure will be too much and that GameStop will close its stores soon, as it should have well before this. That note also includes a phone number for the "GameStop COVID-19 law enforcement and government support line," which goes directly to voicemail when dialed. GameStop stores are being told to remain open and should be considered essential business during the coronavirus outbreak. That's not too surprising, as more people are looking for additional indoor entertainment while they either work from home or shelter in quarantine amid the virus's spread. But this “essential business” idea, which provides a letter that managers are supposed to literally provide to law enforcement in the face of shutdowns, is a bridge way, way too far. The memo also reportedly provides associates with a note that can be given to law enforcement agents who might try to shut down GameStop retail locations, telling them, in part, "thank you for what you are doing to keep us all safe." On the contrary, every major console now offers downloadable versions of every retail game in its catalog. Usually when you see GameStop in headlines these days, it isn’t good news. Store managers are approved to provide the document linked below to law enforcement as needed.”. Coronavirus and gaming: GameStop initially remained open during shut-down, told employees to wrap hands in plastic bags and go back to work. The "essential retail" designation ensures that citizens in lockdown can access necessary items such as medicine and food. The health and safety of our employees and customers is of utmost importance and we have and will continue to take extensive precautions consistent with CDC guidelines. The other counterargument I can see being made is that GameStop is benevolently staying open so that its employees can keep their jobs, and they might lose them with a shutdown. GameStop will pull the plug on keeping its stores open over the coronavirus pandemic despite staying open in recent weeks. With safety equipment in short supply across the entire U.S., GameStop employees were told via an email to “tape a GameStop plastic bag over your hand and arm,” according to the Globe. GameStop stores are being told to remain open and should be considered essential business during the coronavirus outbreak. As such, stores that remain in operation will provide only pick-up at the door or delivery to home activities to further protect our employees and customers.”. "While there are many businesses and organizations far more critical than ours, we believe we can have a positive impact during this very challenging time," the statement continues, adding that "we are complying with all state, county, city and local ordinances and we will continue to adjust to any future developments. The video game store GameStop has continued asking its employees to work, even as recently as Friday, according to the Boston Globe. Construction sites, food services offering takeout are not affected and medical marijuana shops can keep their doors open. Update: Here is a statement GameStop sent me about this issue, reiterating why they deem they are “essential” given some of the products they provide: “While GameStop is best known as a provider of gaming and home entertainment systems, we also offer a wide array of products and devices that are important to facilitate remote work, distance learning, and virtual connectivity. There are many ways to repurpose your old one, New ‘Star Wars’ book confirms Yoda knew R2D2 in ‘Empire Strikes Back’, Lucasfilm defends controversial Baby Yoda moment from ‘The Mandalorian’. Kyle Orland Coronavirus and gaming: GameStop initially remained open during shut-down, told employees to wrap hands in plastic bags and go back to work By Douglas Hook, masslive.com 3/28/2020 GameStop not offering paid time off. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. What happening: GameStop closed all of its stores beginning Sunday. And even without coronavirus closures, GameStop's eventual fate as the game industry's version of defunct megachain Tower Records seems relatively clear at this point. I’ve reached out to GameStop for additional comment, and will update if I hear back. "On two different conference calls, we were told we had to ‘think about the longevity of the business’ and that GameStop would have to close stores permanently if we closed for health reasons," one employee told Vice. "I don’t know if an entire whole team has joined us before in the years that I’ve been here. Kotaku reports multiple employees saying there's more foot traffic at their locations, and Polygon heard from an employee who was told directly to "take advantage of increased traffic." GameStop has yet to respond to MassLive’s requests for comment. They are not essential in the least and pretending otherwise just to stay open in a pandemic puts both their workers and customers at risk. He has been an official Fool since 2006 but a jester all his life. Everyone was quick to point out how utterly absurd that was, but GameStop is actually not pitching that they’re staying open because people want to play video games during the pandemic. Major retailers across the country are feeling the pinch as health officials continue to urge social distancing and many US localities order closings for all non-essential businesses to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. "I swear, officer -- this store is essential!" Returns as of 11/12/2020. Ars may earn compensation on sales from links on this site. Even if you could argue that video games fall in this category (as my 16-year-old son might), your local GameStop is easily replaced by direct downloads, in most cases. All rights reserved. To be fair, GameStop's continued operation is apparently serving an increased market demand for the store's services. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. In an attempt to address intense criticism over its decision to remain open during the coronavirus outbreak, GameStop has issued a new statement. News broke yesterday that GameStop is telling stores to defy state closure orders by informing authorities that they are an “essential business” … Before this, GameStop has reacted to the pandemic in ways that range from logical (cancelling midnight launches for DOOM and Animal Crossing) to the ridiculous (telling employees to make boxes with tape on the floor that customers waiting in line should stand in to avoid being more than six feet from one another). GameStop corporate issuing many of its demands by phone to avoid paper trails (like the one that just got leaked). (Photo ... [+] by Richard Levine/Corbis via Getty Images). Even in broadband-free households, an overwhelming majority have Internet access through a smartphone, meaning they can order physical games from Gamestop.com or other online retailers even if brick-and-mortar locations are closed.