Game over for two metro-east GameStop stores. What’s the status of other area stores?
Two metro-east GameStop locations were among the many that reportedly closed nationwide.
Stores at 1120 Collinsville Crossing Blvd. in Collinsville and 3022 IL-159 in Glen Carbon closed Saturday, Jan. 4, according to the company’s website. Calls to each store have gone unanswered. The Alton Telegraph also cited employees at both locations confirming the locations were being shuttered.
The closings came soon after the company’s Dec. 10 release of its third quarter 2024 earnings report, which referenced an ongoing evaluation of current market conditions and individual store performances.
“While this review is ongoing and a specific set of stores has not been identified for closure, we anticipate that it may result in the closure of a larger number of stores than we have closed in the past few years,” stated the report.
A March 2024 Securities and Exchange Commission filing by GameStop Corp. stated that 287 stores were closed in fiscal year 2023. GameStop closed 168 stores the previous year.
Word spreading on social media
While the company made no official announcement regarding closings, word spread through numerous GameStop employee posts on social media including Reddit.
One post from Dec. 30, headed “To know if you’re closing,” stated, “You should be receiving multiple cases of boxes. They are not [ship from store] boxes. The boxes you receive are boxes sent out for closure kits. You will know the difference.”
Reddit user Ok-Affect-8003, another GameStop employee, posted, “Went in for my closing shift before I’m off for the next two days when we got a large shipment of boxes, manager doesn’t believe me when I tell them I think it’s a closing kit. Saw things here, went as far as asking on main menu to ask got more confirmation that it definitely looks like closing kit.”
One reply to this comment was from the poster’s old manager, who confirmed it.
“Saw your post on main menu tonight and can confirm it’s a store closing kit. Unfortunately there’s not a ton of details on when exactly they start closing up the stores, or what will happen with you guys.”
At this time, six area locations in Belleville, Fairview Heights, Shiloh, Granite City, Wood River and Alton remain open.
Calls made to the remaining stores were answered. Associates were unable to comment on the closings and suggested contacting GameStop’s corporate office.
An inquiry sent to GameStop’s media relations did not receive an immediate response.
For information about GameStop and area locations, visit gamestop.com.
