The entire staff of a Gamestop branch in Michigan quit on the day of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launch as a form of protest for poor working conditions.
The staff pasted a message on the shop’s door, blaming the management for inhumane working conditions they are put through. The sign was discovered by customers who posted it on the internet in support of the workers. According to the staff, the management
“overworks, underpays, and under-appreciates its frontline workers”
The workers also acknowledged the discomfort this causes to the shop’s employees, stating that they couldn’t take it anymore.
Poor working conditions suffered by GameStop employees have surfaced several times in the past years, and it seems that the release of Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom tipped the enraged employees of the Michigan branch over.
Fleeing the inhumane company
byu/UltimateMastermind ingme_meltdown
Release of the Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was certainly one of the biggest game launch events of 2023. A lot of customers had already placed pre-orders through this particular GameStop branch just outside Detroit, Michigan. When they finally arrived on May 12 to collect their copies, they were greeted by this message. The heartfelt message moved the customers, disturbed by the treatment these workers receive. Author of the note even claimed at one point,
“I literally cannot pay my rent”
This isn’t, sadly, the first case of the entire staff of a GameStop branch walking out due to unfair working conditions. Before this Tears of the Kingdom debacle, the entire staff of a GameStop in Nebraska had also walked out, posting a similar sign on the door, indicating their complaints about the harsh treatment they received from their district manager. GameStop has made several headlines this year for their unjust treatment of employees, including mass layoffs that affected hundreds of employees nationwide.
With waning physical sales of video games as well as countless employment issues, future of this once-behemoth gaming retailer now looks uncertain, at best.