Last week, GameStop sent an email to its customers confirming that the outreach chain was taking the right steps in the face of the coronavirus epidemic. Other employees, however, share problems with them Kotaku about the company's ability to keep themselves and their customers safe.
GameStop's message to consumers is that the company has formed an internal covid-19 team that will use three key strategies to protect customers and employees. This includes providing its 5,700 stores with laundry detergent and hand sanitizer, instructing staff to stay home if they have symptoms, and encourages customers to buy products online and not in retail.
In addition to GameStop external messages, internal documentation is provided Kotaku by a current employee showing that the company is subject to the epidemic. The hand sanitizer is on the back through a regular supply chain, leaving the purchase to the local management, which is often not available due to a shortage. Another employee says that GameStop locations in their area are not provided with the tools needed to make their stores self-sufficient.
"So far I have not seen any action taken from the company, and I have not seen any material to prevent further outbreaks," said a GameStop executive wishing to remain anonymous. “My colleagues and I share a small bottle of sanitizer that was purchased in our pockets and we make the most of the All More Cleaner energy bottle. We were only granted perm ission to turn off console demos yesterday and my cleaning supplies have been returned for two months. As soon as immediate measures were taken, the stores in my area received nothing. "
“We are allowed to go out and buy these things ourselves and dispose of them,” said one PassStop store employee from the California Bay Area. "At least from the perspective of my store, it's almost impossible to find the items we need to adequately clean and satisfy the stores and keep them as safe as possible."
"One store is not in the toilet paper and they have to close their toilets because the goods have replied to their email saying they do not send them to stores," said a third party employee.
GameStop has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Future releases of both Crossing the Animals: New Horizons and Eternal Judgment this Friday and is a cause for concern for workers. The manager said the company had not yet said anything to GameStop employees about canceling casting events at midnight, which often brings dozens of soft customers together between smaller retail spaces.
The manager pointed Kotaku refer to a a long thread for Reddit, allegedly written by another Gamestop employee, that they say is the best DRM of their experience. (Kotaku could not independently determine thread authenticity.)
Since most people are alone and need to have fun, sources say Kotaku most foot traffic reportedly ended up in their GameStop locations. This may be the result of the significant profit a business has seen size to sleep and store closure a few months ago. But the rate at which covid-19 is transmitted, even those who do not feel its effects, make groups of any size dangerous. The the latest guidelines from the CDC they recommend canceling or postponing the gathering of more than 50 people. This can easily pass during the midnight presentation.
"Many partners are afraid of losing their jobs because shop leaders or district leaders tell us internally that if we stay home and do not provide a doctor's letter confirming & # 39; the doctor is instructed NOT to work & # 39;
If you've already managed to burn through your backlog and won't continue the placement (you should, indeed stay put), GameStop employees ask if you know what you're doing before entering, and suggest that you avoid the hobby. Most people touch those games all day, and without the necessary cleaning supplies, you never know how many viruses you will interact with indirectly.
GameStop Performance Center, i a lounge focused on esports located in Frisco, Texas, will be closed until March 23.
