GameStop was, in previous years, receiving a lot of press due to rising stock prises and a seeming increase in affluence. Many people were choosing to shop with the company in light of internet memes that had been circulating on social media as well. But now, former GameStop employees have come forward and claimed that, while they were working during this turbulent time, they were told to lie and deceive customers in order to increase sales.
GameStop enjoys a certain amount of popularity, even without scandal, for being one of the few brick-and-mortar gaming retailers where players can purchase new games. Many gamers were flocking to GameStop to purchase PS5 and Xbox Series consoles. But now, customers are discovering that there were issues behind the scenes as employees were told to make sales by any means necessary.
In recent Twitter post by More Perfect Union, a video is shown that brings to light the details of GameStop's operations in previous years. Of course, GameStop has always had an interesting business model. From gamers finding Anthem on sale for a penny at GameStop to odd cryptocurrencies on the company marketplace, it's fair to say that GameStop has been more lenient than other retailers. But the newest information from GameStop is certainly more than an odd deal. Employees of the corporation are claiming that they were explicitly told to lie outright in order to sell both pro memberships and warranties.
And, it seems, the average employee was being paid very little as they were asked to do this. The biggest increases in salary went to the executives of the company and many customers were, of course, getting bad or unexpected deals at the same time. And, since the highs that the company has experienced, GameStop instituted new layoffs in an attempt to turn a profit. Indeed, the gaming retailer truly seems to be in the midst of a devastating corporate change that could lead to even more changes in the future.
But none of this is as important as news that the leadership at GameStop was directing their employees to lie to consumers. In a world where customers are valuing trust and corporate ethics more than ever, this may be a disaster for the company, one that could have been avoided. While GameStop continues to restock product in an attempt to push sales, the pressing issue with the company remains. And whether GameStop will be able to recover completely from this purported breach of trust remains to be seen.