Essential Businesses

Earlier this week, Governor Wolf issued a recommendation that all non-essential businesses close to allow their workers and customers to quarantine in an effort to slow the spread of the Covid 19 pandemic.  Predictably, this resulted in greedy corporate pigs making excuses to stay open while claiming that they are essential.  Locally, this included The Christmas Tree Shops (because they sell bottled water), the Adidas factory (because they make shoes for the military), but none is more appalling than GameStop, who have instructed their employees to argue with police who try to shut them down.  Apparently in a time of global crisis, Funko toys and easily downloadable video games are "essential" and must be available for sale in their indispensable retail locations.

Seriously?  I hope this virus wipes the floor with CEO George Sherman.

Make no mistake - the primary concern for these businesses is finding a way to take advantage of the Coronavirus outbreak to make money.  If people are under a lockdown for a period of time, they're likely to play more video games, so the greedy corporate pigs at GameStop want to squeeze every last dollar out of the public during the pandemic.  If a few of their employees or customers drop dead after contracting the virus at their store, that's just the cost of doing business.  After all, they DID tell them to wash their hands, and there's no way for anyone to prove that they caught the virus at their store.

I will never spend another dime at GameStop for any reason.  Ever.

Thankfully, our governor took notice of the nonsense from companies like GameStop who had the audacity to issue orders to their employees to remain open - sent by phone calls and emails from the safety and security of their quarantined mansions.  Last night, Governor Wolf issued a statewide executive order that all businesses which are not life-sustaining must close, and that businesses who defy this order will face penalties as of Saturday, including fines and a loss of their business license.  This time, he's not leaving it up to companies to come up with an asinine excuse to label themselves as "essential".  A five page document has been published which clearly outlines which businesses are life-sustaining and permitted to stay open, and which must close or face the consequences.

Enough is enough.  Businesses had the opportunity to do the right thing and protect the safety of their employees and the general public.  They chose to not do this, and to not prepare for the inevitable outcome of this pandemic which is clear to anyone that has been paying attention to Italy and to the doctors and experts who are working to slow the spread of the virus.  Now, the decision has been made for them.  If these businesses failed to roll out a solution that allows employees to work from home or to maintain business operations without a physical location, it's going to cost them, and the decision makers at the top have only themselves to blame.