GameStop, the video game retail chain, has closed its storefronts in California amid the coronavirus pandemic. The decision comes one day after the company reportedly encouraged employees to disregard law enforcement's calls to shut down storefronts in an internal memo, as first reported by Kotaku.
In the memo, the company instructed employees to hand law enforcement officials a pre-written statement that describes GameStop as "essential retail," due to its stock of items that can be used by professionals instituting work-from-home policies.
Following California governor Gavin Newsom's mandate that "non-essential" businesses close their doors on Thursday evening, GameStop confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that it had closed all of its.