GameStop Hit With Large Number of Manager Layoffs

GameStop is moving into a more digital age, unfortunately, that has resulted in a mass wave of layoffs. The mega-retailers has been in some hot water in recent years as gaming as a whole continues to move away from physical launches, making the need for physical stores less-than ideal. Witha  recent 36% drop in stock value, it looks like those struggles have begun leaking into the stores themselves as a reportedly large amount of layoffs have occurred targeting store managers. 

The news broke over on the GameStop subreddit where employees from stores all over are revealing that their store and district managers are being let go. Even regional managers are being swept up in this move, putting stores in very vulnerable positions sale-wise and leaving many employees confused as to what this means for them. 

The removal of regional and district managers does make sense when looking at earlier plans of change that GameStop has revealed in the past. To adapt to a changing market, GameStop is looking to expand their regions and districts, essentially putting more responsibility and more stores under one management’s umbrella. Is it smart on paper? Yes. Could this potentially blow up in their faces? Also yes. 

GameStop mentioned earlier this year that they were doing some “major reconstructing” when it comes to how their primary business model stands for their physical locations, moving more into a “play space” for local gaming communities and allowing players to “try before they buy” in-store with certain titles. It’s a last-ditch effort to acclimate to changing times, but it is a very real possibility that they may have to go the route that many before them have (remember Sharper Image) where it eventually becomes an online-only retailer. 

Hopefully, this move is in the right direction. Despite the internet memes and the desire to hate everything into oblivion, GameStop has been a place that gave many gamers happy memories and at the end of the day, these are people. These are their jobs, their way to make a living. No meme is worth wishing ill on people you’ve never even met.