COVID Central: GameStop Finally Shuts Its Doors

Last Friday, we reported that GameStop, in a desperate bid to stay open in spite of the rampaging pandemic that's killing people, tried to convince itself that it was an essential service and that employees and managers should resist any effort to show down local stores. But over the weekend, they found that particular approach was left wanting, so they have since decided to do the thing they really should have done from the start and shut their doors.

They're not properly closing, of course, unless they've been ordered shut down completely by local law enforcement (such as the case in California and Nevada), but are rather operating a bit more like a drive-through: you order your games, you drive to the store, and you pick them up from the curb.

They also announced that they're giving all employees an extra two weeks paid time off (presumably to self-quarantine if they get sick), while certain employees who are eligible can enjoy eight hours of extra paid time off. The CEO also emphasized that if anyone is uncomfortable with their current scheme, they should talk to their supervisors. He didn't detail what sort of deal they could expect to hammer out, but he did make a point to empathize that no matter what each employee was comfortable with, it wouldn't impact their position within the company.

It took a long time to get here, and it certainly had a few missteps along the way, but GameStop ultimately did respond better to the crisis than many other companies, who have just laid people off or, in the case of Hobby Lobby, said that God would protect them through their time of crisis. That said, if GameStop can actually weather this storm has yet to be seen. They were on thin ice before the pandemic, and its not entirely clear if they can survive in this time of economic collapse.

I wont say well hope, but we sure will see.