
GameStop instructs employees to ignore law enforcement and not shut down - minimaxir
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pkew4g/gamestop-instructs-employees-ignore-law-enforcement-not-shut-down-coronavirus
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t0mas88
That's both irresponsible and an upcoming PR disaster at once. What do they
think to gain from fighting law enforcement to stay open a few extra days? Why
not put a big sign on the door to promote ordering online?

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falcolas
Two games:

Doom Eternal

Animal Crossing

These are huge games, and being closed on their launch has the potential to be
a deathblow to a weak company. Gamestop has nothing to offer for online sales
compared with the console storefronts, Amazon, Steam or Epic.

Pitting its employees against law enforcement for a few potential fines
wouldn't matter to a company that cares little (if at all) for its employees.

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DonHopkins
>This morning, GameStop announced it would start selling Doom Eternal today—a
full day early—to try and separate the Doom and Animal Crossing Crowds.

I think releasing those two particular games on different days to separate
their respective crowds would be a wise idea, regardless of Coronavirus.

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Dig1t
Amazon has delayed my shipment of Animal Crossing to prioritize essentials.

From the email I got from them this morning: "As COVID-19 has spread, we've
recently seen an increase in people shopping online which has had an impact on
how we serve our customers. So in the short term, we made the decision to
temporarily prioritize household staples, medical supplies and other high
demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so we can more quickly
receive, restock and ship these products to customers. As a result, your order
may be delayed."

I'm going to cancel my order from Amazon and go pick up the game at GameStop.
I suspect my behavior has something to do with the reason they're staying
open.

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callalex
If you are in the Bay Area, this is an illegal violation of the mandatory
shelter in place order, and is punishable as a misdemeanor.

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capableweb
I wonder how likely this guess is. Not only specific to one country, not just
a state in that country, but an area of a state. Wonder how the chance of
successful guess looks like, compared to the total users here on HN.

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Dig1t
He's right, haha I am in the Bay Area..

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time0ut
That is an interesting argument. They're basically saying its for the greater
good that they stay open. There may be something to that, but their approach
is tone deaf and irresponsible. Also, they're motivated by greed which is
never a good look.

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bagacrap
“Due to the products we carry that enable and enhance our customers’
experience in working from home"

For example they probably sell headsets and webcams which can be used for
video conferencing. Seems legit enough. At least as legit as restaurants
offering takeout. (How is takeout "essential" when you could just cook for
yourself?) If you are in a high risk group or you have contact with someone in
a high risk group, don't go into GameStop.

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nradov
Not everyone is physically capable of cooking for themselves. Others are
staying in rooms or hotels with no kitchens. And if fewer people buy takeout
food from restaurants then that just means even more customers in grocery
stores, which is no better from a disease transmission standpoint.

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lainga
Is GameStop CTD and pulling out the (game)stops to try and get a few sales out
of the Animal Crossing / Doom releases?

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twomoretime
I suspect game Dev and sales companies may be worth investing in right now.
Millions of people are about to be locked in their houses for months.

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falcolas
Given how tightly the game industry market is tied with the general market, it
won't be a good bet until the market at large finishes its fall. And, since
their studios will also close and impact the timelines on future games, they
won't be a great medium-term investment.

That said, they'll probably be strong in the long term; videogames as
entertainment is only growing.

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twomoretime
>won't be a good bet until the market at large finishes its fall

Normally I'd agree with you but under these circumstances millions of people
are going to have absolutely nothing to do sitting at home for months, both
adult gamers and children. And everyone's about to get >=$1000 to spend on
whatever...

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capableweb
Yeah, but everything will happen so fast the market won't have time to react
as you think. The value of stocks et al are based on what people think will
happen in the future, not what's happening right now.

