Best Buy holding out on Wii customers
By Ryan Block 
posted November 23rd 2006 3:41PM
posted November 23rd 2006 3:41PM
What would you say if you found out your local Best Buy had stock of Wiis sitting in its back room, but those units weren't going to make it out onto the shelves when you dropped by to pick one up? Unfortunately that's the case for Toronto area gamers, as Best Buy is allegedly sitting on their stock of Wiis for the sake of fulfilling their "commitment to [their] customers" which they made in the form of circulars. Loathe to run out of stock before this Friday's round of Toronto Best Buy ads, some stores actually pre-emptively struck against their own buyers by not only hoarding said consoles, but actually went so far as to pull for-sale units right off the shelves. Since one is likely to take a side (and we do know a lot of Best Buy employees read Engadget), we hereby present a brief point / counterpoint by Evan Blass and myself.Point: Why is it that a customer that walks in today -- first, and before Black Friday customers -- should be lied to by retailers about the stock they're carrying? Why should that customer not be sold the product they drove all the way out to get just because Best Buy might run out before their local circular hits? It's not like the five Wiis they have in back are really going to last very long tomorrow anyway, nor does or should an advertisement guarantee stock. What's more, it's not even Best Buy's fault Nintendo can't produce enough to keep up with demand. Withholding sales is probably well within Best Buy's rights and all, but it's an awful way to treat your customers, and smacks of the "bundling" fiasco they had last year during the Xbox 360 shortages. My vote: spend your money elsewhere until Best Buy cleans up their act and treats buyers right. -Ryan
Counterpoint: While it might be frustrating for consumers to roll into a store stocked with Wii's and leave empty-handed, it's only fair to look at the situation from Best Buy's point of view as well: if they've already published ads claiming that the Wii is in stock, stores that don't have these items could be held liable for the old bait-and-switch -- especially if they're unable to offer valid rainchecks (another bad idea, considering the demand). Could Best Buy have anticipated this situation and planned accordingly? Absolutely. But once those circulars hit the papers, the retailer has an obligation to keep at least a token amount of stock on hand; plus, if you owned a store, would you really risk getting hit with a fine in order to placate a few customers and make a negligible profit on a couple of consoles? -Evan
Customers are insane anyways. As a retailer, you cannot make anyone, let alone EVERYONE, happy.
I think that is ridiculous. Who cares if you print an add the fact is everyone knows just because something is in the paper it doesn't mean that they are going to have it. Thats why they always say WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. On top of that video game systems everyone that is a real fan knows that these things are not gonna be in stores they are not waiting for a stupid circular to come out to buy it. I agree with the point spend your money elsewhere when you have idiots running stores that are turning away customers. That is the problem with big corporation they do whatever they want and its rarely want the customer wants. What happened to first come first served? You snooze you lose? I personally don't care for a WII but I think its stupid the way this is going. I plan on getting a PS3 and I will wait until I can camly walk in and grab one. People that are waiting for circulars are basically taking that chance. There for this is silly and screw best buy.
Yeah, I found this out at my Best Buy on Wednesday. 40 ps3s came in that day and were put out immediately. I was just talking to one of the workers about it (mainly how they couldn't get one because the line would never die down before the employees could snag one), and he straight up said "we have 63 Wiis in the back that we can't sell until Sunday."
So, if i were to stay outside a store, which one would i have the highest chance of getting a Wii? If someone could help me out...
Circuit City?
Best Buy?
something else???
What I don't understand is WHY do they hold back their supplies? Does it matter WHEN they sell out? It don't make any sense: money last Sunday/Friday is the same value as black Friday.
Not that I really care since they can do whatever they want and people will still pay for one. I am just curious.
As a former BB employee, I have to take BB's side on this actually. What happens is that the ads are sent into print usually weeks or MONTHS in advance and BB stores don't make these decisions, corporate does so they have to do whatever they can to meet the minimum requirements that are set up on them. Therefore, they aren't intentionally trying to screw customers, it's just that they are put in bad shape and the same customers can just come when they are available, although inconvenient.
it's not just the Best Buys in the GTA, it's the whole chain that's holding on the units, including Future Shop. (A wholly-owned division of Best Buy Canada, and its main competitor as well... odd, isn't it?) Both Best Buy Canada and Future Shop have some pretty hot ads dropping on Friday, with lots of radio/tv promotion behind them. Although we don't have Black Friday here (Boxing Day is the big, crazy retail day) this Friday does really mark the beginning of the holiday sales and holiday hours for lots of stores, sooo... As people have already pointed out, there is a LONG lead time on the flyers and other advertising and we have to be able to meet our advertised quantities if at all possible.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5303670
Wal-Mart got them available. I've been keeping a loose eye on them and I'm suprised to see this open window
I work for future shop. A subsidiary of Best Buy and I know we have at least 16 Wiis in the back. I am a computer associate but I was told that we are holding them so that customers get a fair chance to line up and buy them as opposed to a lucky few just wondering in a getting them off the shelves. Sounds fair to me. At least Employees can buy them now. To bad we get no discount. They have a negative margin. So you can be assured were not doing this to make money.
They make money by advertising an item that 98% of the people who walk in the door for a Wii will not get one & BestBuy wants these people to say "Well, I guess since I'm here I might as well look" and then hopefully they will buy something. That is what makes it crooked...Bringing people in to sell anything but a Wii. (or PS3 of course)
They make money by advertising an item that 98% of the people who walk in the door for a Wii will not get one & BestBuy wants these people to say "Well, I guess since I'm here I might as well look" and then hopefully they will buy something. That is what makes it crooked...Bringing people in to sell anything but a Wii. (or PS3 of course)
You know, all the guys bitching about Best Buy not selling them would be exactly the same people who, if best buy did sell them before Sunday, would be writing "Best Buy LIED! Their ad said they would have X and they didn't have a F__king one!".
Best Buy is doing the right thing here...They said they would have some on X date and they are taking the steps to make sure that will be the fact. Its actually kinda nice they are making sure that people who actually work weekdays have a shot, albeit very slim, getting a wii, since only Ebay pimps and students are going to be able to get there on Weds mornings. I think Best Buy sucks overall, but they are doing the right thing here, contrary to Ryan's view that he has some sort of constitution right that he should be able to buy a product the very second the store takes possession of it.
@Colin
No, Black Friday is for White People hoping to pick-up some soul for Christmas. We’re all pissed-off, because “Best Buy” might run-out before the weekend sale is over. WTF? Are you both racist and stupid?
No, the right thing would have been to NOT advertise something which is in small suppy. What this does is create false hope and that's it. Most people will see the ad and drive to the store only to find an empty shelf.
Best Buy sucks, go to Fry's Electronics instead (if you have one). Anyways, I'm not mad. It's common sense that it's hard for any manufacturer to keep up with demand and so it limits the shipments to the stores. I don't even know why they're advertising it, anyone who wants one knows that it has already come out. AND by the time someone sees the ad and goes to the store the units are just going to be gone anyways.
It's stupid for Best Buy to advertise it, but they know that many customers are going to come in and try to buy the Wii, find out they're sold out, and buy something else. Either way, Best Buy makes money.
In Saskatchewan (Western Canada), I've been calling every Walmart, Eb Games, Toys R Us, Future Shop and Best Buy. everyone quotes me the "oh, we're getting systems tomorrow" or "We had systems yesterday". My favorite is the, "which do you want, Wii-mote or Nunchuk?" question. I beg for both, get a promise for half, make a 45 minute drive to a stupid mall, only to arrive with nothing in stock... I don't understand! People are playing jokes on me! All this just so I can play Wii Tennis with my girlfriend.
Why didn't Nintendo make more controllers?>? I guess Sony wanted press for selling out of systems, Nintendo magically sold out as well, but easily sold out of their allotment of controllers... per location. This is also forcing everyone to buy (and search, and scrounge (on ebay)) 3 more wiimotes for $44.00 each, just to play multiplayer tennis. Because it is cool and I want to share the fun.
Everyone that I know, who had little to no knowledge of the Wii beforehand, is completely amazed by the Wii and it's technology. Nintendo is great again! Why waste money on a Ps3, when you could buy Zelda and A Wii for $350? of Gears of War and an Xbox 360 for $600?
Wii... better than can be imagined.
Let's not pretend that Best Buy is the only company that does this kind of action. Every company will try its hardest to make black friday sales look impressive. EB Games has this same exact practice! They take the units off the truck, walk it past the waiting fans, and put them in the backroom till 'black friday.' If everyone bought their consoles online we would not have this problem.
I worked at bby for 6 years. They used to hold product all the time and make employees lie about it, especially for the Xbox 360 launch. They were pretty much "Sold out" at all times except for when they had an ad running showing the 360. They also tried to tell employees they couldn't buy one, showing utter disrespect for the people making them their money. When a mamnager happily skipped up to me to tell me that I wasn't allowed to get one, I responded with "I'm almost tempted to find the $400 that I don't have to come in here and have you try and tell me I can't buy one as a customer." BBY doesn't mark up the systems themselves so the employees wouldn't be using their discount, they were just discriminated against flat out. Customers, know this, they treat their employees just as bad as you, only they have no choice but to take it if they want to keep their jobs. I feel sorry for them.
To be frank, Best Buy sucks ass.
I recently spent 20 minutes in line behind one person to return an item. When I spoke to the manager he was condecending, unapologetic, and completely unwilling to even make a show of helping. Of course, my complaints to Best Buy corporate got me a shiny canned email. Dumbasses. I've cut up my rewards card and they can shove it up their asses.
This is my first time writing a comment, but I've been reading Engadget for a while. I'm glad this post was written the way it was. As an employee, I never lie to customers about what we have in stock or what has to be done with it. We had just enough in stock to meet our ad requirement, so that made it easier to accept the situation. However, before I was an employee, I was a customer, so I also realize the frustration that people go through when the thing they want most isn't available.
Keep up the goood work Engadget staff!
I just visited the Best Buy @ Bay & Dundas in Toronto yesterday and they said a shipment of Wiis would come in on Fri but they may not be able to sell them. "Check with us on Thurs"... so they are being somewhat up front about it, but it seems like a great way to create a stampeded and a bunch of pissed off customers walking off empty handed. I for one don't want to line up out front playing Star Wars stratego with everyone else.
Yes, Best Buy has every right to hold back their Wiis for their Sunday launch. If you really want one, just wait until Sunday! If you don't want to do that you can always just buy a wii online on ebay or amazon or something.
If you can't find one online, the best site I found to buy one on is http://www.buyawii.org . Good luck finding one everybody.
that's nuts Best Buy is a biatch. I'd rather goto http://buywii.weebly.com
I had a similar experience with the Manager of the North Scottsdale Best Buy - named Michael; and his employee Heather. I waited at the store for 5 hours yesterday in order to purchase a Wii for my son for xmas. After what seemed like very friendly help; and noticing that I had been there for so long Heather tells me that she has seen the manifest of the truck and they are not on todays shipment please come back tomorrow. So I comeback today and as I walk in I notice the Name tag "Store Manager Michael"; I thought what luck - I can go right to the horses mouth. I said I know I am early for todays Wii shipment but has the truck come in yet? And he said all the Wii's were sold yesterday. And I said; "but Heather sent me home yesterday because they were not on the Truck's manifest; and told me to come back today." He said "There is nothing I can do; there are no more Wii's. Come back on the 16th for our sale." I then said "Excuse me, your employee lied to me; don't you care about that?" He said "There is nothing he can do, call 1888 best buy if I have a complaint" and I said "your nametag says store manager, and your telling me that you have no authority or responsibility? The title is obviously worthless, I hope they pay you well." and I left. Everything he said was a total blow off; he was lying to me just like his employee - and since it starts at the top; obviously nothing is going to be done. The thing is this isn't about a hard to get Wii - they could have treated me with dignity and respect; by being honest with me. But they choose not to. It is beyond me that a company with such a poor track record could still be in business; I really don't understand why people continue to accept poor customer service. I know that I will never shop Best Buy again - period. It is out of principal. I just wish more people would vote with their dollars and blogs. I have no reason to trust Best Buy; they have lied to me - all they want is my dollars - and they don't care about me as a customer. They don't get that "Trust" sells, or that "customer 2.0" has choices. I don't shop Wallmart out of principle either. I really look forward to the day that Best Buy is a member of "Fucked Company."