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Gamestop Employees Told to Wrap Hands in Plastic Bags for Work

Previously, we here at Bleeding Cool have been reporting all manner of practices that gaming-retailer and industry giant Gamestop has been taking to ensure they continue to sell their gaming and merchandising wares. This has run the gamut between calling themselves an "essential retail" business in order to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak to starting a pickup-at-door service when they were eventually shuttered despite those claims. Now, Gamestop employees are claiming that Gamestop has told them to equip themselves with plastic bags on their hands and arms in order to hand items over to customers.

Gamestop Manhattan awning
Source: Gamestop

According to a few different sources, this happens to be the case. A 24-year-old manager for Gamestop who wished to remain anonymous to the Boston Globe or fear of retaliation said that a memo was sent out to all managers. Some of the highlights of this memo include the order to "Lightly (you want to be able to get it off easily) tape a Game Stop plastic bag over your hand and arm. Do not open the door all the way —keep the glass between you and the guest's face — just reach out your arm."

Gamestop Claims "Essential Retail" Status, "Can Stay Open"
Source: CDC

There is no reason that Gamestop should risk the lives of their employees or their customers, or even the credibility of their storefront, by doing this. It's incredibly reckless and there's no undercutting how greedy these business practices are.

In a statement, the company went over the same thing they have said to other media outlets, to the Boston Globe in this instance:

With employee and customer safety as our paramount concern, all our stores remain closed to customer access, including those in Massachusetts. We are processing orders on a digital basis through our new curbside Delivery@Door shipping service. Only employees may enter our stores at this time. Importantly, all GameStop employees have been assured that they do not have to work if they are not comfortable, or need to stay home to care for a family member. While GameStop is best known as a provider of gaming and home entertainment systems, we also offer a wide array of products and devices that are important to facilitate remote work, distance learning, and virtual connectivity.

It bears repeating, especially if they claim to understand the overarching issue: When will Gamestop stop?


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Joshua NelsonAbout Joshua Nelson

Josh Nelson is a Magic: The Gathering deckbuilding savant, a self-proclaimed scholar of all things Sweeney Todd, and, of course, a writer for Bleeding Cool. In their downtime, Josh can be found painting models, playing Magic, or possibly preaching about the horrors and merits of anthropophagy. You can find them on Twitter at @Burning_Inquiry for all your burning inquiries.
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