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GameStop: We Can Stay Open During Lockdowns Because We're 'Essential Retail'

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Re: GameStop: We Can Stay Open During Lockdowns Because We're 'Essential Retail'

#91

Post by throwawaysea »

braythwayt wrote: post #82
ceilingcorner wrote: post #70

And modern people wonder how the witch-hunts happened in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The mob-like response to this is sad and deranged... Many companies will go out of business as a direct response to these closings. Millions of people will lose jobs. Before throwing out insults, consider that GameStop probably has to try and stay open, or they'll go extinct. Considering that a retail employee that sells video g…

Excuse me, but let's stop this line of thinking right now. No business has a right to do whatever it thinks it must to survive. Tobacco companies don't get to do whatever they think they must to survive. If a restaurant is in trouble, it doesn't get to tell its employees to speed up service by not washing their hands, nor does it get to hire employees under the table for cash to avoid payroll taxes or minimum wage, n…

“While being good members of society” is an argument often used to justify suppression of free speech and other authoritarian tactics.

Re: GameStop: We Can Stay Open During Lockdowns Because We're 'Essential Retail'

#92

Post by xnyan »

urthen wrote: post #13
LinuxBender wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is exactly what will happen. If the county or state order businesses closed as non essential, remaining open would be a misdemeanor. I have to wonder if Gamestop will pay the legal fees for the employees that are arrested.

Bahahaha that's about as likely as pigs flying. "You were instructed to keep the store open, but were unable to perform your job-required duties because you got arrested attempting to do so, therefore you are fired. Request to pay your legal fees is denied."

And you were fired with cause so no unemployment insurance because America is barbaric.

Re: GameStop: We Can Stay Open During Lockdowns Because We're 'Essential Retail'

#93

Post by throwawaysea »

leetcrew wrote: post #19
dantillberg wrote: post #11

In a sense, this rings true in this pandemic, right? Many people are relying on video games for entertainment while confined to their homes. ------- Edit to reply to the comments below: A lot of good replies, thank you. I've largely been on the "doom and gloom" side of this COVID-19 debate, so I'm surprised by the other angrier replies, but here's my thinking: - People that download games aren't going to GameStop any…

I dunno what the state of affairs for consoles is, but on PC, I can't think of a single game where you actually need a physical copy. if it exists, it's probably too obscure to be stocked at gamestop anyway.

What if the person playing the game doesn’t have a strong internet connection?

Re: GameStop: We Can Stay Open During Lockdowns Because We're 'Essential Retail'

#94

Post by cmrdporcupine »

RegnisGnaw wrote: post #20

Tin-Foil-Theory: They are trying to keep open to today for the release of DOOM Eternal and Animal Crossing.

It's not tin-foil. That's exactly what EBGames here in Canada is doing.

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/03/18/toronto-employee...

Awful. You can just download Animal Crossing anyways...

Re: GameStop: We Can Stay Open During Lockdowns Because We're 'Essential Retail'

#96

Post by mikestew »

ceilingcorner wrote: post #70

And modern people wonder how the witch-hunts happened in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The mob-like response to this is sad and deranged... Many companies will go out of business as a direct response to these closings. Millions of people will lose jobs. Before throwing out insults, consider that GameStop probably has to try and stay open, or they'll go extinct. Considering that a retail employee that sells video g…

The mob-like response to this is sad and deranged...

In stark contrast to “profits über alles”, which is perfectly A-OK. Here ya go, folks: if you want the voice of late-stage capitalism, it’s right there in print. The only thing missing is a nod to “job creators”.

Re: GameStop: We Can Stay Open During Lockdowns Because We're 'Essential Retail'

#97

Post by casion »

sjburt wrote: post #62
uxcolumbo wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I probably missed a few news cycles, but what Musk and Bezos do you would class as disgusting during this crisis? I heard Tesla is going to produce ventilators?

Tesla refused to close the Fremont plant and told workers they were essential because they were providing transportation [1]. Musk has also said that the virus response has been overblown. [2] Musk is now saying that they well produce ventilators, although they have no design, no experience in medical devices, and a factory that makes cars, not ventilators... [1] https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a31748353/tesla-alam…

I'm no fan of Musk, but the tweet you linked does not say the response has been overblown.

He's not incorrect in the tweet you linked: both cpf and mortality are currently overstated due to lack of testing and asymptomatic cases.

He has plenty of other silly tweets such as: https://mobile.twitter.com/elonmusk/status/12360294490421985...

Re: GameStop: We Can Stay Open During Lockdowns Because We're 'Essential Retail'

#98

Post by ceilingcorner »

ThrowawayR2 wrote: post #81
ceilingcorner wrote: post #70

And modern people wonder how the witch-hunts happened in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The mob-like response to this is sad and deranged... Many companies will go out of business as a direct response to these closings. Millions of people will lose jobs. Before throwing out insults, consider that GameStop probably has to try and stay open, or they'll go extinct. Considering that a retail employee that sells video g…

> " Before throwing out insults, consider that GameStop probably has to try and stay open, or they'll go extinct. " At the potential risk of human lives? Even if we say that customers are coming in voluntarily, it isn't the executives at GameStop manning the counter at these stores; if it were, people would have less objection. Those staff are ordinary people like you or I.

This is a short-sighted view. If GameStop closes, they will go out of business. If they go out of business, these employees will lose their jobs.

I see no reason why a GameStop employee can't just quit or refuse to come to work if he/she fears getting infected.

Re: GameStop: We Can Stay Open During Lockdowns Because We're 'Essential Retail'

#99

Post by braythwayt »

ceilingcorner wrote: post #90
braythwayt wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Excuse me, but let's stop this line of thinking right now. No business has a right to do whatever it thinks it must to survive. Tobacco companies don't get to do whatever they think they must to survive. If a restaurant is in trouble, it doesn't get to tell its employees to speed up service by not washing their hands, nor does it get to hire employees under the table for cash to avoid payroll taxes or minimum wage, n…

First off, don't start any conversation by telling someone to stop thinking contrarian thoughts. Secondly, the risk of dying from the coronavirus from working at or going into a small video game shop is negligible. You are far more likely to get it at Walmart or a grocery store. Are you calling for the closure of these stores too? Thirdly, you are painting GameStop as some faceless entity. People work there. These pe…

You think the risk is negligible. The rest of the world does not. Good for you being a "contrarian," but neither you nor Gamestop get to act on each and every one of your contrarian thoughts.

Lots of people, if left to decide these matters for themselves, decide that the risks of their behaviour are negligible. That's why Spring Break is crowded.

But you aren't even framing this correctly. It is not just about the risk of a 20-something retail employee dying. It's also about the risk of them transmitting it to each other and to customers, who in turn transmit it to people who have a non-negligible risk of dying.

Get a grip.

This is not an abstract argument, we are watching thousands of people die from this, and we believe that community transmission comes from otherwise healthy people passing it around long before they have any symptoms at all, and those carriers need not die to cause the deaths of others.

Re: GameStop: We Can Stay Open During Lockdowns Because We're 'Essential Retail'

#100

Post by zentiggr »

rideontime wrote: post #71
mywittyname wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ThinkGeek will be the asset to emerge from the ashes of GameStop. It was a smart acquisition by GS executives. Unfortunately, they weren't smart enough to manage the brand as well as they should have. The parent company should have inverted to become ThinkGeek immediately after the acquisition because it's pretty obvious to even layman that the retail market for video games is dead within a generation or so, while th…

What even remains of ThinkGeek, apart from name recognition? At least before the GameStop acquisition they sold some unique products. Now, as far as I can tell, they just sell the same fandom merch you can get anywhere.

Had GameStop management not neutered it, there would still be lots of unique things going on.

Turning an already online platform for truly cool items, into a side counter in only a few core stores, just goes to show how truly clueless GS management really is.

Yeah, I'm bitter. Wife and I gifted each other lots of TG stuff over the years.

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