American electronics retailer Best Buy is taking steps to ensure the health and safety of its employees and customers, including curbside pickups for new game releases. This comes as businesses deemed "non-essential" are being encouraged to suspend operations temporarily or, at the very least, adopt new policies to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
A Reddit user posted an email they received from Best Buy regarding their Final Fantasy 7 remake pre-order. The email instructs the customer to wait outside the Best Buy store for an employee to arrive with their game, and then to pop their trunk. The employee will verify the customer's order through a closed driver side window, and then leave the game in the car's trunk.
"Because nothing is more important to us than the safety of our customers and employees, we've converted your order from Store Pickup to Curbside Pickup, and we're excited to bring your order out to your car," the email reads.
In contrast, GameStop is closing all of its physical locations to customers and allowing some stores to offer door-delivery services. This follows a report from Kotaku that claimed GameStop was telling store managers to leave doors open for business despite warnings from local governments and health officials.
While it's good to see these two retail giants are making changes to protect their communities, there are plenty of ways to enjoy games without leaving your home at all. For example, Square Enix is offering two Tomb Raider games free-of-charge, imploring gamers to "stay home and play."
And don't forget about movies! Here's every movie released early due to coronavirus.
