GameStop Corp employees across the country were taken by surprise on Saturday when the video game chain suddenly announced the new shipments of the much-loved PlayStation 5 and Xbox series. X. Consoles send customers to stores.
Workers at the American retailer, speaking to Bloomberg and posting on social media, said they had received little notice of the resumption, adding that the crowd was confused and at risk for their health.
Latest generation devices from Sony Corp and Microsoft Corp. In short distribution since its release last month, gamers everywhere are eager for the latest restart. On Saturday afternoon, new inventory is arriving at GameStop customers, but it is only available for pre-order in stores, not online, where scalpels dominate the digital queue. However, according to GameStop staff, the public discovered the staff in less than an hour, which was not ready for the rush of customers.
Factory and Logistics disruptions during epidemics have hurt Microsoft and Sony’s ability to sustain demand ahead of the holiday season. Both consoles sold out on the first day of launch. Companies are releasing their consoles to more countries at the same time than in the past, which exacerbates distribution problems.
Other retailers are also struggling to deliver the devices to customers. Walmart Inc. When the PlayStation 5 relaunched last month, its website crashed, while Amazon.com Inc. in the UK found shoppers stuffed with other items, such as their PS5 boxes. Pet Food and Nerf Guns. Administrators of both Sony and Microsoft have apologized for pre-ordering and short delivery.
A gamestop manager on the East Coast shared an email from the company, sent just minutes before the public announcement, saying that about 15 new consoles would be available to pre-order at their store. Minutes after the announcement, the manager said there were about 40 people in the store, overriding social-distance needs and outdoing their clerks.
Its last-minute announcement to GameStop customers is to ensure that individuals buy consoles, not resellers. “We feel that the attitude of notifying customers of this offer in certain circumstances may have provoked unexpected reactions from our partners and customers,” Gamestop said in a statement. “We apologize for the inconvenience.”
Gamestop is facing a widespread staff shortage, which is urgent, as retailers have asked stores across the country to cut hours, the manager said. GameStop, which has been struggling in recent years amid widespread acceptance of digital games, has said In a disappointing third quarter last week, the stock fell as much as 22%. The retailer has closed nearly 700 stores this year and will close more locations in 2022, while reducing costs while still looking to see a sales pump this quarter thanks to new consoles.
At Reddit, Gamestop staff Sharing similar complaints, telling stories of big lines and unruly crowds. Shares of Gamestop fell 2.7% in New York at 3:01 p.m.
(Updates with GameStop commenting on the seventh column. An earlier version of this story adjusted the title to show the latest generation PS5.)