PS3 abundence part 5: Best Buy still has stock left over f..

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/06/ps3-available-on-bestbuy-com-still/

BestBuy.com and Best Buy stores, following a well publicized New Year's
Eve sale, still have PlayStation 3 units available. We've received
documentation from sources using Best Buy's Retek Store System (RSS)
showing megalopolis' like Los Angeles are sold out, but states like
Missouri, Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Minnesota are stocked. This is all
a moot point because BestBuy.com has units for purchase. If gamers want
a unit, it's available.

One of our sources says, "It would appear that nobody is really buying
them. As of today, my store only had somewhere around 12 units left,
but other stores were in the 30s ... While some people are blaming it
on the fact that nobody wants a PS3, I like to imagine it's because the
parents who would be buying them already jumped for a Xbox 360 or
managed to get a Wii. After all, if I just spent $600 on little Susan
for Christmas, I would not want to drop another $600 minimum for her.
No kid is worth that much."

Although it could be the sign that PS3 supply is starting to exceed
demand, this Best Buy situation could merely be an anomaly. Amazon.com
can't keep units in stock, but we don't have data on how many units
Amazon.com received. It's certainly an indicator of things to come when
a major U.S. retailer has PS3 units available online and in stores that
aren't being sold less than two months after launch.

[Thanks to our BB guys]

Sammus McMouldenus wrote:
> http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/06/ps3-available-on-bestbuy-com-still/
>
> BestBuy.com and Best Buy stores, following a well publicized New Year's
> Eve sale, still have PlayStation 3 units available. We've received
> documentation from sources using Best Buy's Retek Store System (RSS)
> showing megalopolis' like Los Angeles are sold out, but states like
> Missouri, Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Minnesota are stocked. This is all
> a moot point because BestBuy.com has units for purchase. If gamers want
> a unit, it's available.

About half a day ago, Best Buy's online stock was sold out, right now
they claim to have them in stock in big bold font on their main page
which links to the following disclaimer:

"PlayStation 3 quantities are extremely limited. No rainchecks. Limit 1
per customer. Store pickup of online orders is not available. Items may
ship separately."

It seems like Sony is shipping these consoles at a very high rate, so
larger retailers sell out in a day, get a shipment in a day or two
afterwards, and so on. This is in deep contrast with the 360 which
faced severe shortages for months after it's launch -- not because of
demand, which is actually less than the PS2, but because of Microsoft's
Chinese manufacturing partners failed to meet expectations. Last March
Moore promoised that everyone who wanted a 360 could get one, and lo
and behold by April this came true and the supply issue was resolved.

It is gratifying to see so many Ebay sellers now with a stock of PS3s
they will never see a real profit on because Sony pushing units out
fast enough that anyone with a little patience can get a PS3 at retail.
Of course will see how much this really amounts to with the NPD numbers.