Greedy GameStop Won’t Let a Good Coronavirus Crisis Go to Waste
You shouldn't be supporting a company whose policies risk contributing to the spread a deadly contagion - all in the name of making a few extra bucks. | Source: quietbits/Shutterstock.com
- GameStop is one of the biggest game retail companies in the U.S.
- Employees accuse the struggling chain of putting money before safety during the coronavirus pandemic.
- This behaviour is not acceptable in a time of international crisis.
During the coronavirus crisis, practically everyone is doing more to care for the vulnerable and prioritize the welfare of others. And it’s refreshing to see many companies helping communities pull together.
But then there are retailers like GameStop, who apparently view coronavirus as an opportunity to make as much money as possible .
GameStop Lays Its Real Priorities Bare for Everyone to See
A deluge of anecdotal reports from GameStop insiders paint a bleak picture of a company that’s taking full advantage of the coronavirus pandemic.
The worst part is that they know they’re taking advantage – and yet they’re going to keep doing it anyway.
The GameStop subreddit has been blowing up with complaints about the company’s response to the outbreak. Twitter user Retroity compiled them into a series of posts, and – assuming even a portion are true – it’s pretty damning stuff.
According to one poster, someone at GameStop encouraged employees to “take advantage” of the situation.
One anonymous employee told a similar story to Vice :
It’s been laid bare that the company values money more than its associates and I have personally debated leaving over concerns around their core morals as well as to protect myself and others by not participating in willingly spreading this epidemic.
That’s not even the worst of it. Reddit posters also made a shocking allegation about the company’s policy when a worker gets coronavirus.
Far from shutting down the store, they reportedly expect other locations to send employees to it. Then these poor workers have to clean and re-open the infected store. (These claims have not yet been verified.)
Why are they doing this? Because for once, this chain is actually managing to make money. And it’s all thanks to coronavirus.
This Sort of Behavior Is Not Acceptable
If there’s actually any reputational fallout after the coronavirus pandemic is dealt with, it should be aimed at profit-crazed corporations like GameStop who knowingly subjected their employees to unnecessary risks.
In a time like this, that is basically a capital crime.
After all, what GameStop is doing could potentially be making coronavirus much, much worse. Some of the allegations on the subreddit are completely heartbreaking. There are even impassioned calls for customers not to come into the stores.
Hopefully, GameStop won’t get away with this. I would encourage anyone who was thinking of buying anything from them to change your mind.
You shouldn’t be supporting a company whose policies risk contributing to the spread of a deadly contagion – all in the name of making a few extra bucks.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.
