In response to quarantine measures to prevent the propagation of coronavirus, retailers across the country reduce hours or close for weeks at a time. Gamestop has not yet made a business decision to close the stores for the duration of this pandemic, choosing to remain open and accelerate sanitation efforts. B
“We had the best days of sales we’ve seen for months, then of course, companies want us to stay open,” says a Redditor.
Many states have requested the closure of “non-essential” and many companies are surprised to know that their local video game store would be open. “The state of Pennsylvania closed all the” non-essential “stores, which, I suppose, must include Game Stop, but no, I was mistaken,” said Twitter user @girlziplocked.
A message on the Gamestop website says the stores have been supplied with a hand disinfectant and disinfectant to help maintain a safe environment. Yet several employees say that this is not the case. “The stores are a literal petri box with high contact surfaces and many stores have not received any type of disinfectant,” explains an anonymous employee of Gamestop.
The company’s message pursues that employees are encouraged to stay at home if they experience pseudo-influenza symptoms, but does not specify whether additional paid time is offered or not to those who can not work.
Employees in some stores report difficulty to take leave. “I asked to use my grip because my mother suffers from 2 pre-existing conditions and I was told that I was selfish and I would not get it.”
To reduce the size in their stores, GameStop moved the day of the launch of doom: Eternal a day until March 19th. Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be launched on March 20, as planned.