I was very sad to hear that Grainger Games was set for closure. It was a great chain, and I went to my local shop regularly. But it struck me that however sad I was feeling, it must be nothing compared to how the shop staff must be feeling. For a start, they’ve all lost their jobs at very short notice.

Whenever big retail closures like this happen, the headlines are all about how many millions the company owed, or what the company was doing wrong. But the people who are the most affected – the staff – barely get a mention. So I decided to interview some of the Grainger employees to find out how they feel about the whole thing and to ask them what they plan on doing next. The article has just been published on Kotaku UK:

The Final Days of Grainger Games — As Told By Those Who Worked There

The people I spoke to emphasised just how close-knit Grainger was, and how it feels almost like a family splitting up. The sudden closure has also left them much worse off – the two who have found another job have both taken a pay cut. And Stuart’s wife has had to cut short her maternity leave to go back to work to support their four kids.

These are difficult times, and I wish all ex-Grainger employees out there the best of luck for the future.