Reggie… whaaaat are you doing?
Getting a paycheck to do next to nothing?
Seems like a can’t-lose type situation. If GameStop dies, there was nothing Reggie could do about it anyway, it was a lost cause before he got there. If it somehow turns around, then he’s a hero. Or bigger hero.
“We’re enabled to go out to purchase these items ourselves and have them expensed,” a San Francisco-area store employee told Kotaku. “At least in my store’s regard, it’s virtually impossible to find the items we need to adequately clean and sanitize the stores and keep ourselves as safe as we can.”
Confusion seems rampant in other aspects of store operations. Vice reports that a memo sent to employees ordered them to shut down “interactive gaming stations” where customers can try out new games. But stations that have been paid for by Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft need to stay active, the memo suggests, asking employees that may have shut them down to restore them and “wipe [them] down regularly with disinfectant wipes.”
Perhaps most concerning, GameStop has apparently not modified its policies toward accepting used games and technology at all, forcing employees to handle materials from customers who may not know they’re infected. One store employee told Polygon that they were instructed “not to turn away trades for any reason.”
We’ve known the people in charge of that company are kind of garbage, but this really takes the cake.
This seems like a really bad idea.
The video game retail chain GameStop told all of its stores this afternoon to stay open even in the event of state lockdowns to protect against covid-19, emphasizing that it is “essential retail” alongside groceries and pharmacies and should therefore be exempt from quarantine laws.
“Due to the products we carry that enable and enhance our customers’ experience in working from home, we believe GameStop is classified as essential retail and therefore is able to remain open during this time,” the retailer said in a memo to staff this afternoon, obtained by Kotaku .
Essential Retail my ass. What a load of bull.
Their entire legal department is in quarantine right? That’s the only explanation that makes sense here?
They’re using the loophole that many states have stated regarding essential electronics because they sell used phones and tablets to stay open. PA closed that loophole at 5PM today and I suspect even Best Buy will close now (they’ve been staying open too).
Not familiar with this Youtuber, and can’t verify the authenticity of this recorded call, but here you go:
Our BestBuy is one of the few places around here people can get what they need to work from home, locally. Otherwise they’re trying to figure out how to shop online… some people can’t do that well.
Right. I know what the reasoning was for Best Buy. It’s still borderline IMO in this instance but whatever.
There’s been a lot of discussion of cheap tablets and the like for kids to do schoolwork so I can understand someone getting one at a Gamestop but realistically they’re going to be forced to close.
It’s a rough situation all around. Ugh. I don’t consider Best Buy and certainly not Game Stop as essentially by any real definition, but the WFH group just exploded, and some of those companies are just telling them to figure it out and… they can barely use Roku remote, and certainly don’t have what they need to even hookup a laptop to a monitor
I’ve defended the company for a lot of things, but I’m glad I don’t work there anymore.
Arrest them.
Wow. I’m only 20 minutes into it, but this is horrifying, and a good look into Gamestop corporate and how they are thinking. Wow.
I guess when they are dying, they will grasp at straws, and fuck dignity.
As to the Youtuber, from what I know of the guy, that recording would indeed be legit, although I haven’t heard yet if he explains how he acquired it. He’s an ex-employee who worked there for 11 years, part of that as management, and while he definitely is disgruntled and has a bone to grind, he’s also the guy that current employees (and corporate in some cases) are emailing with their personal stories about their experiences. He’s highly entertaining. I’ve been subscribed for several months now, but have gotten a bit behind in his reporting. Thanks for posting that.
I think you’ve answered this before, but how long ago was that?
Because there was a time long ago when Gamestop was not a dirty word.
And even now, amid all of their crises, their employees are still trying their damndest to please everybody. Gamestop has a gold mine in their employees, but chose to abuse them. It breaks my heart listening to the managers in that call @kerzain linked, asking all the right questions trying to cope with this the best they can, and being shot down by corporate at every turn. Jesus.
It’s been a decade now. I left in fall 2009 prior to moving to the west coast in Jan 2010.
See, back then was right around the time I quit going there.
Obviously this means that your leaving prompted me to abandon the place. ;-)
Truth is, I left solely because they stopped stocking PC games. But still, my experiences with local management and employees was always first-rate. And likely still would be if I was still going there. And it’s mostly for their sake that I’m so upset over all this. The customers have already moved on.