GameStop Reportedly Making Employees Keep Stores Open Amid Coronavirus Pandemic and State Lockdowns

According to a new report, GameStop is making employees keep all stores open even in the event of [...]

By Tyler Fischer

According to a new report, GameStop is making employees keep all stores open even in the event of a state or city lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In an alleged memo sent out to all employees, GameStop notes that it's "essential retail" -- like pharmacies and grocery stores -- and thus it should be exempt from an enforced closure coming from the state or city.

"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," reads the memo, obtained by Kotaku.

According to the alleged memo, authorities have been visiting select stores across the country in an attempt to enforce a closure. If this happens, store managers are advised to show the authorities a document provided by GameStop.

"We have received reports of local authorities visiting stores in an attempt to enforce closure despite our classification. Store Managers are approved to provide the document linked below to law enforcement as needed."

According to Kotaku, the document in question encourages police officers to call GameStop's corporate headquarters if they think there's a problem with the store staying open.

At the moment of publishing, GameStop has not commented on this latest development. Further, it's worth pointing out that everything here should be taken with a grain of salt given that it's not official information. However, the source in question is widely considered reliable.

This new report comes back on yesterday's report that alleged GameStop is making its employees buy their own cleaning supplies for the store.

Of course, while these recent alleged memos will be deemed irresponsible by many, the retailer is taking some precautions to combat the virus and ensure it adheres to the CDC-recommended social distancing guidelines by selling DOOM Eternal a day early.

We will be sure to update this article as more information comes in and/or when GameStop issues a statement on the report.

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