GameStop for employees: wrap your hands in plastic bags and return to work

Customers can also order and pay for products online and collect them at the door.

The instructions emailed by a district chief to directors on Monday seemed almost to be a joke, said the 24-year-old director, who asked to remain anonymous because he feared retaliation.

The message, titled Best Practices for Smart Cards, “says: Slightly (you want to be able to remove it easily), place a Game Stop plastic bag on your hand and arm. Do not open the door fully Keep the glass between you and the guests face just reach out.

“It’s like it’s an animal or a pet,” said the manager.

The manager said it was exasperating that he was sent to work at a video game store and told to protect himself with a plastic bag while a pandemic is raging.

I have to make a choice between doing work that nobody needs during a pandemic and not getting paid, and possibly infecting people or being infected, he said. We know for a fact that the disease is contagious even when you are asymptomatic.

GameStop is not considered a essential service, depending on the state, and is not permitted to offer curbside pickup. Violators may face criminal penalties or a civil fine of $ 300 per offense. The manager said the district manager had explicitly told him that the store had state permission to open.

GameStop did not respond to questions about authorizing payments at the door and instructing employees to wrap plastic bags around their hands. The company also ignored the fact that its services are not considered essential in Massachusetts. Employees who answered the phone at several stores in the area confirmed that customers could come to the store and pay by credit card.

In a statement, the company said: With employee and customer safety being our primary concern, all of our stores remain closed to customer access, including those in Massachusetts. We process orders digitally with our new Street Delivery @ Delivery service. Only employees can enter our stores at this time. Above all, all GameStop employees have been assured that they should not work if they are uncomfortable or must stay at home to care for a family member. Although GameStop is best known as a provider of home entertainment and game systems, we also offer a wide range of products and devices that are important for facilitating distance work, distance learning and connectivity. Virtual.

More than 15 states have ordered the closure of non-core businesses, each with its own definition of still authorized services. Among them allowed to stay open across the country: liquor stores, bicycle stores, a candy maker, gun sellers and golf courses.

A number of companies with essentially precarious claims have also been keep their doors open. According to Cheryl Purcell, dog breeder and groomer in Hanover, Cheryl Purcell, dog breeder and groomer in Hanover, said that Massachusetts dog groomers seized the exception in the states for organizations and workers responsible for the care and the keeping of animals, pets and livestock. Company.

Grooming animals is not considered essential in Massachusetts, the state said.

On Sunday, GameStop began limiting its operations to online sales and curbside pickup, and business was booming, said the manager, who worked Monday and said he was busier than he expected. In a Sunday sales conference call, store managers reiterated that we made $ 2 million in one day, said the manager, who was unsure of the number of stores involved.

After the state closure order came into effect on Tuesday, the stores were closed for several days before reopening Friday for curbside pickup, the director said.

GameStop, which is based in Grapevine, Texas, and operates more than 5,500 stores worldwide, according to its website, has experienced difficulties in recent years as gamers increasingly play online. The company announced in September that it would close up to 200 stores by the end of last year, reports said, and on Friday it said sales were down 26% in the same quarter last quarter .

But GameStop chief executive George Sherman said Thursday that, with millions of Americans stranded at home in recent weeks, demand for video games has increased. The COVID-19 epidemic has brought about changes in the way consumers work, play and learn, he said in a statement. While it is still early days, we are pleased with the progress we have made to date in our business stabilization, optimization and transformation initiatives.

Globe wire service equipment was used in this report.

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Katie Johnston can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @ktkjohnston.