It is the year 2021 and GameStop remains an anomaly. The rise of streaming quickly put Blockbuster Video out of business around 2014. But despite the fact that most video games are now streamed, many brick-and-mortar GameSpot stores still exist.
Many game enthusiasts work at GameStop stores to be able to be close to something they love. But according to them, it’s not a great job. And a number of employees say they are being pushed to the brink by the company.
In an employee-filled subreddit, many are sharing similar complaints. The last few days have been particularly hard with the Black Friday shopping rush.
One user wrote, “The entire staff of the mall store a mile down the road from mine called in sick today when the current SL made it known they have a wedding to go to. I don’t think that store opened today.”
Another complained of having to work on Thanksgiving despite a clear lack of customers, “Did some clown math and we estimated that on Thursday we sold about $400 worth of product that wasn’t a console or its bundle. Meaning opening for Thanksgiving was bullshit.”
There is also a major issue with pay. Many states have moved toward a $15 minimum wage. And even in states that haven’t adjusted pay, the GameStop wage scale is woefully low. Keyholders, who have the responsibility of opening and closing the store are only paid $9 an hour.
Since online orders have become so prominent, many employees are now spending a fair amount of their time wrapping up packages. This change is work, however, hasn’t changed the low pay.
An employee noted, “If we are going to treat stores like Amazon fulfillment centers then we need Amazon fulfillment center hours god damnit.”
GameStop corporate has yet to respond to the complaints from their employees about the myriad of issues.
