During coronavirus, GameStop claims it's ‘essential retail’ to stay open
It says the products it sells enhance working from home
As schools and businesses around the United States shut their doors amid the coronavirus pandemic, electronics and gaming store GameStop is fighting to stay open.
The company called itself “essential retail” in a recent memo to employees, instructing them to keep stores open: “Due to the products we carry that enable and enhance our customers’ experience in working from home, we believe GameStop is essential retail and therefore is able to remain open during this time,” the note read, according to Kotaku.
In California, home to a number of GameStops, officials ordered residents to shelter in place to avoid the spread of the virus. Meanwhile, in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo told all businesses to instruct staff to stay home unless it’s completely essential that they’re at work.
GameStop did not immediately respond to a request for comment from FOX Business but said in the memo that it provided store managers with the appropriate documentation to show local authorities who wish to enforce closures.
Reactions were mixed on social media, with some users bashing the move while others seemed to approve. At least one store employee, though, was not happy at all.
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“I hate wearing this mask but I have to,” the Rockland County, New York, worker told the New York Post, saying that she’d rather the store close out of concern for her 70-year-old-father.
“If I have to keep working, I need to make sure he’s OK.”
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Since initial reports of the outbreak, the virus has infected roughly 270,000 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, resulting in over 11,200 deaths.
The Senate is working on a deal to send $1,200 checks to each U.S. adult as part of a stimulus plan to bolster the U.S economy amid the COVID-19 outbreak.