GameStop Under Fire for Telling Employees to Keep Stores Open Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

The video game store GameStop is under fire for telling employees to keep stores open amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Vice is reporting that a letter was sent to employees saying that they should ignore law enforcement telling “non-essential” stores to shut down. GameStop allegedly believes that they should be “classified as essential retail.”

The memo said, “Due to the products we carry that enable and enhance our customers’ experience in working from home, we believe GameStop is classified as essential retail and therefore is able to remain open during this time. We have received reports of local authorities visiting stores in an attempt to enforce closure despite our classification. Store managers are approved to provide the document linked below to law enforcement as needed.”

After the news went viral, GameStop released a statement and said that the company is taking preventive measures to protect customers and associates.

“We are working diligently during this unprecedented time to provide our customers & associates with the safest environment possible,” the company tweeted.