As people everywhere remain at home to avoid the coronavirus rather than journey out into the public, restaurants, gyms, stores, and all other manners of businesses have to face new challenges. Chief among them is promising a sanitary environment for customers, ensuring that they feel safe while shopping.
However, demand for cleaning and sanitization supplies have spiked, leaving some businesses unable to get the basics they need to keep things sanitary. Such is the case with GameStop, the physical game retail chain, which has had difficulty ordering supplies through its own channels – and is now seemingly turning to its employees for help.
Recently, GameStop formed an internal "taskforce" to combat the spread of coronavirus in its stores, promising consumers a safe and sanitary shopping experience. However, according to employees of the company, that hasn't been the case. According to one employee, there have been "little to no measures taken from corporate," nor have there been "any supplies to prevent further outbreak."
Some stores have even had to provide their own supplies, with management teams having to hunt down sanitization products in their local areas due to certain things being back-ordered. However, the demand for those products has been high, leaving some stores unable to find anything. GameStop also recently laid off district managers to cut costs, potentially leaving a gap in leadership during an especially trying time.
Not only is GameStop a retail store, and one that encourages customers to physically touch its merchandise, but it will soon attempt to pivot into a sort of cultural center for games, with consumers being given a place to come in and try out some of the most recent game releases, and engage with other members of the community. That's a concerning notion as coronavirus continues to spread throughout the globe – a notion that may mean GameStop's closure.
For employees, a lack of cleaning supplies could prove to be dangerous – both for them and their customers. Additionally, GameStop's lack of support for basic essentials is irresponsible, at the very least, and outright dangerous in more affected areas. Employees have even come together to share small bottles of hand sanitizer, which they purchased themselves, due to GameStop's failure to send necessary supplies.
Luckily, GameStop canceled midnight releases for certain games due to coronavirus, but it if the situation continues to evolve, it may need to take more drastic measures – including closing down stores.
Source: Kotaku