GameStop surprised everyone recently with a restock of PS5 and Xbox Series X, including its employees. This week, GameStop restocked both the next-gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles, but it locked ordering to in-person, meaning there was no option to order either console online. Of course, this lead to a huge migration of desperate Xbox and PlayStation gamers to their local GameStop. In a pandemic, squishing people into tight indoor spaces is bad enough, but according to various employees, this was done with little to no warning ahead of time, leaving employees scrambling and concerned about their health. Responding to all of this, GameStop has since issued a statement explaining the decision was to prevent stock from going to bots and scalpers.
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According to a report from Bloomberg, employees found about this restock less than an hour before the retailer announced it to the public. Naturally, this left GameStop employees unprepared for the sudden surge of customers. Speaking with the retailer, one GameStop manager revealed they found the news minutes before it was announced. Not long after this, a crowd of dozens of people showed up, overwhelming staff and breaking COVID-19 social distancing policy in the process.
In addition to explaining the decision was to avoid resellers from gobbling up the stock, the retailer also apologized for “any inconvenience” it caused.
“We realize that in some situations our approach of notifying customers of this opportunity may have caused unintended reactions from both our associates and customers,” said GameStop. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
As you would expect, not only has GameStop’s handling of the restock earned it backlash from employees but customers and the general public as well.
This isn’t the first time GameStop has come under fire this year for its reaction and handling of the pandemic. Back in March, the retailer reportedly kept stores open amid state lockdowns, citing itself as “essential retail.” On top of all of this, it’s closed hundreds of stores this year and is set to close hundreds more in the coming months.
For more coverage on the retailer and all things gaming — including all of the latest news, rumors, and leaks — click here or check out the relevant links below:
- UK Politicians Call for Action Against Console Scalping and Bots
- Xbox Live Games With Gold Makes Two New Games Free for Limited Time
- Xbox Series X Picks Up Big Unexpected Exclusive Game
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Update Adds Highly-Requested Feature to Zombies
- Walmart PS5 and Xbox Series X Restock Proves to be Gold Mine for Customers
