As reported on Business Insider – Retail:
As shares of GameStop stock reached sky-high levels on Tuesday and Wednesday before dramatically falling on Thursday, one group of people has been left firmly on the ground, fielding bizarre interactions with customers: GameStop store employees.
As an army of day traders sent the stock soaring, workers at some GameStop stores across the country told Insider that they were receiving calls and even in-person visits from customers. But the inquiries weren’t always looking for the latest videos games. Instead, they wanted some investment advice.
Meanwhile, employees said, they had yet to receive any direct guidance from the company’s leadership about how to address the stream of customer questions.
Dwight, a GameStop senior sales advisor who was working at GameStop’s store on Mission Street in San Francisco and withheld his last name, told Insider by phone on Wednesday evening that some employees have been left to their own devices while fielding incoming calls from quizzical customers.
"I’ve definitely been getting calls about it," Dwight said, noting that "random customers" were seeking counsel on how to invest their funds with the company. "People [are] asking whether or not they should move forward with getting the stock," Dwight added.
As to his response to some of those puzzled callers: "I’m sorry, dude," he said. "I have no insight on this."
Others made passing comments about the once-soaring stock while paying for their items, according to one employee at a location in South Florida, who requested anonymity to speak freely about unfolding events.
They made remarks like: "You guys must be doing pretty well, the way your stock’s going up," the associate said, adding that those comments don’t quite speak to the full picture.
"My coworkers and I have just been annoyed with people coming in and asking us if they should buy stock or not," this person said. "We haven’t ever been offered stock."
No guidance from GameStop
GameStop store associates at multiple locations across the country told Insider that they had not received any communications from GameStop’s corporate leadership about the stock surge as of Thursday afternoon or how to handle the unique customer interactions.
A GameStop representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider on Thursday afternoon.
When reached by phone on Thursday, Bruno — a store associate who works at GameStop in Miami-Dade County, Fla., who withheld his last name — told Insider that store associates hadn’t received any formal messaging on this subject from corporate executives.
Bruno was unable to specify whether managers, however, had been contacted by GameStop leadership.
To be sure, the unique interactions were not universal. Other GameStop store employees didn’t report any unusual behavior from customers.
Meanwhile, some interactions have been more confrontational over the volatile stock price.
"I had multiple people come in and tell me that I ruined their portfolio," said the South Florida associate.
Frustrated customers made comments along the lines of: "My portfolio got screwed because of GameStop stock," this person said.
Are you a GameStop employee witnessing unusual customer behavior as a result of the stock rally? Contact this reporter confidentially at rhodkin@insider.com or on the encrypted app Signal at (561) 247-5758.
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Source: Business Insider – Retail
Author: Reed Alexander
Date: 2021 01 28
Link: https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-what-happening-inside-some-gamestop-stores-across-the-country-2021-1
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