GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - It’s been over a month since Play and Talk had to close up its retail space inside Gulfport Premium Outlets because of the spread of coronavirus in the United States.
The game shop received a notice on March 18 that the outlet mall off Interstate 10 and U.S. 49 was shortening operating hours. Two days later, the outlets decided to close as COVID-19 cases increased in Mississippi.
“We had three days in essence to figure out what to do,” general manager Jameson Sacco told the Sun Herald. “It hit us all at once.”
The local video game store, which also has a Mobile location, is filled with old and new gaming systems, nostalgic games and hundreds of video games and merchandise.
Play and Talk’s second location in Mobile was deemed an “essential” business, allowing it to stay open. At that point, new merchandise and other stock as needed was sent from Gulfport to the west Mobile mall to help sell and fulfill orders.
“After that, we had to figure out what steps to take in order for us to move forward,” Sacco said.
Sacco said he wanted to figure out he could let his employees continue working and avoid layoffs, so his staff has been working on cultivating a database to prepare for online sales. They’re selling on Facebook and Ebay now but hope to build a website in the future, Sacco said.
This week the store opened back up for curbside service although the mall remains closed. The shop now operates out of the back of their store with a “drive up” station that is stocked with Lysol spray and disinfectant wipes while asking customers to follow social distancing guidelines.
Sacco said that the employees are taking extra precautions to ensure the safety of their customers by wearing gloves and masks and changing them regularly. While the curbside station is slowly picking up, their phones haven’t stopped ringing.
“Lately with everyone being stuck at home, video games have boomed,” Sacco said. “People are calling every day. The second we get something in we’ll have people say, ‘I’ll be there in five minutes’ to come get it. People really want it.”
The biggest demands in the last month have been Nintendo Switch devices and newer PS4 games. The Nintendo switch has become one of the most popular and most difficult systems to buy after Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out amid the pandemic.
“I don’t think the wave stops after this,” Sacco said. “I think this could re-spawn people’s interest in video games more.”
For now, he said the store will continue to serve their customers how they can through social media and their curbside service to help bring a little “escape” to those confined to their homes as the country combats the coronavirus.
“It’s an escape from reality,” Sacco said. “It takes you out of the monotonous daily grind and helps break away from this daily cycle … It’s a way to not have to deal with the troubles of reality right now and feel normal again.”
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