COVID-19 claimed its latest retail victims on Sunday as Best Buy and GameStop closed their doors to visitors, pivoting instead to limited-interaction curbside pickups and home delivery.
Best Buy's "enhanced" curbside service—available at all stores (unless otherwise directed by state or local authorities)—serves online and in-app purchases where pickup is requested. However, the big box store is going the extra mile. If you're unable to place an online order, but roll up to your local Best Buy anyway and luck out because the item is actually in stock, an employee can enter the shop to claim the item and sell it to you while you remain in the car. The service also extends to returns and exchanges, the period for which has been extended on most products.
Best Buy CEO Corie Barry explained in a statement, "The situation we're facing as a company and as individuals is unprecedented and changing at a pace all of us are working to keep up with ... We are seeing a surge in demand across the country for products that people need to work or learn from home, as well as those products that allow people to refrigerate or freeze food ... As we meet the demand for these necessities, we are adjusting how we operate in many ways to improve safety."
Customers can also opt for large appliances to be shipped where permitted and under "strict safety guidelines," according to the company, with everything being left at the door. In-home installation and repair services have obviously been temporarily suspended.
GameStop, meanwhile, is now processing orders on a digital-only basis, with Chief Executive Officer George Sherman explaining, "As millions of Americans look to GameStop to adjust to their new normal of increased time at home, for work, learning, and play, we have implemented practices to help ensure the safety and health of our employees, customers, and partners ... We believe it is prudent to institute further safety protocols while meeting this increased demand through curbside pickup."
You can shop online at GameStop.com or via the GameStop mobile app for consoles, games, toys, collectibles, and apparel.
Further Reading
- Bezos: Amazon Workers Don't Have Enough Face Masks
- Amazon Re-Opens Queens Delivery Station After Worker Tests Positive for Coronavirus
- Coronavirus Causes Best Buy to Limit In-Store Customers to 10 to 15 At a Time
- Amazon Pauses Intake of Non-Essential Goods to Prioritize Shipment of Household Items
- More in Shopping