GameStop is by far the largest video game retailer worldwide. In fact, they operate 4,573 stores around the world. In addition, the company is now ranked 521st on the Fortune 500. Therefore, the popularity of this video game retailer can clearly be understood. However, one of their outlets recently made the headlines due to a strange reason.
The GameStop located in the Gateway Mall in Lincoln, Nebraska remains a witness to a strange incident. The shop had been one of the busiest ones in that area. However, over the weekend, the shop was closed as the employees resigned as a protest against the alleged ill-treatment of the district manager. Read the article to know more about this strange incident.
The Incident
It is not uncommon to see a GameStop closed temporarily. It happens daily during lunch and bathroom breaks. However, the notice pasted outside the Gateway Mall GameStop has a different story to tell. The notice states that the employees have resigned due to the ill-treatment of the district manager. It further states that the district manager claims to have told the employees to achieve certain sales goals six months ago. Whereas, many of the employees have joined the outlet just 3 months ago.
However, the resigning employees did not stop here and went a step further. They listed the names and addresses of all nearby video game retailers and asked the customers to shop from those places. Kotaku stated that they contacted the store and were told that the shop will start functioning soon enough. The representatives of the company refused to comment on the incident.
What The Employees Said
The video game website and blog, Kotaku spoke to Frank Maurer, the store’s recently promoted manager. Frank stated that he had to leave the store due to his health issue. He had been suffering from tremendous stress and anxiety and had trouble sleeping. Frank joined the GameStop outlet in late 2021. At first, he enjoyed the work but soon, it turned into a nightmarish experience. He claims that this was mainly due to the disparity between the management’s strict ‘quotas’ and the lack of resources.
He further added that the payments were also not up to the mark. Further, the company also did not train him properly to handle the job of a store manager. He faced overwork for two weeks at a stretch. LIke the resigning employees, Frank too called out the district manager. He said that the district manager set impossible targets and threatened to sack the employees for failing to match the targets. The district manager abused employees verbally. Therefore, the allegations brought by the protesting employees seem to have some base, at least.
Is This Mass Resignation New?
The straight answer would be: No! Another GameStop in Nebraska saw a mass resignation. Then also, the employees blamed the district manager. In fact, one former employee stated on Facebook that since 2021 there had been four walkouts. The ex-employee blamed the district manager for all these walkouts.
Moreover, Frank Maurer also cancelled any speculation about unionization. He stated that the company’s turnover has always been huge, and the ruthless management would never allow anything like that to happen.
Concluding Lines
The GameStop subreddit every day get flooded with posts about people quitting. There is also a growing consensus among the employees that burnout is at its worst at GameStop. The employees complain that the company always pushes them to the breaking point during the holiday rush. Moreover, complaints about the district managers have always surfaced. Therefore, the company should take serious note of this situation, if it wishes to stop the growth of popular discontent about it.
