As the novel coronavirus epidemic begins and unprofessional shops begin to close, some workers feel GameStop is taking the business path as a routine cause of anger and anxiety.
Many store managers and sales staff have contacted Polygon – asking for anonymity for fear of retaliation – to explain the company's response to the COVID-19 broadcast. A The red cord he also collects anecdotes about how GameStop's top management failed to support its staff during the disaster.
Many employees say the company insists on staying open, even in places non-essential stores are ordered to close. This morning, Polygon called stores in six states of the San Francisco Bay Area, where non-essential stores are ordered to close. The shops were selling as usual.
The store manager, located on the east coast, wrote to Polygon: “We just arrived at a conference about an hour ago and said we would continue to open our regular business hours whatever the provinces dictate. Ask us what happens if an employee receives a coronavirus and works with it and is told that they will have all the employees of this store in isolation, the store will be closed to clean it but they will then come with other staff to make sure the store stays open. ”
One manager said company leaders were happy that video games and console sales were enjoying a boom in sales, as people looked down on their home.
“I had a district call and a district call today. Both have shown little regard for staff, "said GameStop manager." Focusing on sales. "
One manager said they were told by the regional leader to continue to focus the company's attention on focusing on trading on electronic devices, such as mobile phones and tablets. “We are in the midst of this health crisis, and we are getting a job from the district manager who tells us to do a professional trade event,” they said. One manager said the company had told employees "not to trade for any reason" and to "take advantage of the overcrowding of traffic."
"They are looking for general sales jobs and technical expertise so we handle a lot of unknowns," one employee said. "They said we could use gloves but (the company) could not provide them so it's up to us to find them."
GameStop was planning to continue opening events this week Eternal Judgment and Crossing the Animals: New Horizons. But the memo sent today, and received by Polygon, has been canceled.
"Until further notice, more late-night launch events, and any other store events, have been canceled," the memo reads. "It's best to avoid situations where large numbers of visitors (10 or more) are grouped in or stand in line."
Workers are told to wash their hands every 30 minutes, and do regular cleaning at shopping malls. But the company's promise to deliver a hand sanitizer and other cleaning products has not materialized. Five employees told Polygon they did not receive cleaning supplies. The company's company said its cleanup order would not be available for "several weeks." Employees are told to buy their own laundry, and to pay the expenses.
"The stores have been very busy lately and will not give us extra money to get more than one person working … I don't have time to clean them," said the store manager.
"We are currently using our best two bottles of hand sanitizer, which have been borrowed (for business) nearby," said one manager.
"It's impossible for us to clean ourselves everywhere, so every open GameStop is now a high-risk area," said a store employee.
Polygon asked GameStop about its decision to keep stores open in the affected areas. The company has issued a statement, as follows:
GameStop is working tirelessly at this unprecedented time to provide our customers with the most engaging and secure environment possible. Like many businesses, we are taking the initiative to launch multiple social media outlets in our stores, such as allowing only 10 customers at our stores at any time, canceling all game events and launch activities at midnight until we get more details, temporarily disabling all active game channels in our stores, introducing management practices in the store chain that create a 1-parameter among customers on the checkout lines, and encouraging shoppers to increase our online ecommerce capabilities and direct delivery to their homes from our warehouses or stores.
In addition, we have introduced high-quality cleaning methods in all the high-impact areas of our stores. And like other retailers, we take aggressive steps, in a difficult environment, to quickly find the necessary cleaning supplies. Like many businesses, we continue to monitor the COVID-19 epidemic, while satisfying our players to seek the product they want in a way that protects our consumers and our associates.
GameStop's response comes after a general slowdown in sales company revenues, including store closures, renewal pressure and high staff pressure to get customers' boxes out of used merchandise.
If you work in the gaming industry and have been affected by a coronavirus, please contact and Polygon, to tell your story. Your anonymity will be respected.
