PS3 launch shipments restricted to top 5 retailers?

by Ross Miller on Nov 15th 2006 4:55PM

According to a memo obtained by GameDaily BIZ from smaller video game chain Rhino Video Games, Sony has "decided to limit the supply of hardware (systems and accessories) to its top five volume retailers (Wal-Mart, Target, etc.)" on the November 17 launch day.

However, we know of at least seven major retailers receiving PlayStation 3 units on launch day. In addition to Target and Wal-Mart, we know GameStop / EB Games, Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears and Toys 'R' Us are having PS3s on launch day. We know supplies will be very limited and GameStop won't be fulfilling all of its PS3 pre-orders (already conservative figures).

That smaller retail chains will not have PS3s on launch day is not that surprising, but only the "top five retailers" is wrong and makes the memo a bit suspect. Rhino Video Games will not be getting PS3s on launch day -- a fact reaffirmed on its website -- the rest is not true. Rest assured, there will be PS3s for sale at all retailers by the end of 2007. We hope.

Source

Tags: best buy, BestBuy, circuit city, CircuitCity, eb games, EbGames, game stop, GameStop, PS3, retailer, rhino, sears, target, toys r us, ToysRUs, wal mart, WalMart

Reader Comments (32)

I think next time around, Sony should release the PS4 and PS5 simultaneously. That's about the only way they could top this launch for screwing the consumer.

just had confirmation i'll be getting a ps3 on launch day from gamecrazy, admitadly each store in the area is only getting 1 or 2 but still this shows other retailers are receiveing them. Plus if you do the match for all the allocation of units for those 5 retails it doesnt even add up to the 150k-200k that are shipping.

Actually I think this is a business decision. Think how much money Sony is saving per unit by not shipping them? The other half of the units they are going to have people buy direct from the warehouse.

Brilliant!

First and foremost, this will be a stressful time for customers as systems will be hard to find. Remember to be patient with all customers and encourage them to take advantage of our system in stock guarantee. While it isn't definite, Sony has informed us that PS3 hardware should be available the week after Thanksgiving. Recommend to all customers that they call back often to check availability.

There's a Rhino's in my area which I shop at often.

PS3 fans will not be pleased by this I'm sure.
Luckily there's a Wal-Mart in the same plaza so maybe they can find the rare few there.

John Lucas

@2 - I think your math is off there.

@6 not really if you add up the number of stores for each chain and look at all the articles that show the avg amount of consoles that have been allocated to each of the differnt retailers you end up with about 150k

plus you have to remeber that those aloocation numbers are probably off since sony just informed all the reatailers of the further cut in shipments today.

hrrm, i hope kmart gets them then. i kinda have a plan going and if someone could tell me if they think this is feasible or not, id appreciate it.

1. i dont want a ps3 (yet) but i would like some extra money. first: go to kmart or circuit city by my house and wait all day as if im going to buy one and hopefully be early enough. (around noon here)

2. wait for someone late to show up and be willing to pay me some sweet $ for my spot in line.

3. have plenty of xmas $ for gifts! :D

i hope this could work since ive witnessed others pay for spots in line at 360 launch and wii preorder morning at my ebgames. your thoughts please??

Turo,

You better start waiting. All of the Best Buys got some people in line already at this moment. That goes the same for Circuit City and Target. I haven't seen anyone at one CompUSA yet, but I don't know if they are getting any or not. Sears, same thing.

If you say so, but if you have a total number of stores for those retailers of 8181 (give or take) and then divide 150,000 - you get about 18 units per store. I think that leaves a lot of room for per store numbers to be mixed.

Anyway, doesn't matter since Sony says the reports b.s. They never lie. :P

Wal-Mart-3850 locations
Target-1300
Circuit-700
Best Buy-1100
EB/Gamestop-1231

yeah i knew about big places about wal-mart and best buy. thats y i was thinking about some of those inconspicuous places like kmart and possible the circuit city nearby it. and perhaps sears, aldi, etc.

anyone think itd work at those smaller places if i wait tomorrow starting around noon?

just called Sears... nothing until next year

Sony should hold like 25,000 of them and post them all on ebay... screw the people who buy them just to make a profit.

Blockbuster that owns Rhino games has 500 consoles they got hold of. So want to know why we arent going to sell them? Because corporate is jackasses and decides next month they will have a "promotion" with them. (Meaning sell in bundles)They just now told us this after we have been telling everyone wed have a few on Friday and even the same for Wii which we wont get into next wednesday.

The store I work at is suppost to get 4 for preorders... so if we don't get any in Firday is gonna suck. Gonna be fun to be cussed out by the fanboys...

FYI....Best Buy only has 800 stores. Yes I know the store numbers, no they are not sequential.

FYI, I know the AAFES stores (the department-type-stores on US military bases) will be getting some PS3s. They don't do preorders or anything of that nature, though. Some of my buddies here are going to be getting up early friday to go try and beat the moms to the consoles.
Frankly, they don't pay me enough to be able to afford one. :P

easiest to figure out how many units sony actually shipped:

1. wait until Saturday
2. go to www.eBay.com
3. start counting

6 months ago everyone was bummed that there would be no spring launch but at least we could be hopeful that by delaying until the fall Sony could make sure the launch goes smooth and avoid the debacle that happened with the 360 last year.

3 months ago we were resigned to the fact that you had to be a camping fanboy to actually get a system but most fanboys would at least be served.

Today Sony can't even promise that every store will get anything at all to sell.

I don't care if you are a Sony fanboy, by ANY standard this is pathetic!

I think the PS3 launch is gonna suck worse than the 360 launch last November.

More people camping with even less supply.

Costco Said they wouldn't get any PS3s, but they will get Wiis.

Just get a 360. Plays the same games on a better online network for less money. Get a ps3 when the price drops and they have some exclusive games that warrant the purchase.

i called all my kmart locals in ca around here.there are four of them and they say they that they have to split their ps3 with sears and their only getting 1-3 units hope is not true.but i did hear that like three different times

does anyone here work at Costco? i was told online only, but they couldn't give me a date or any other info. Costco.com doesn't even have the "email me when info is available" link anymore. i might show up when they open up anyways...

i'm screwed! i got my X360 there last year and was counting on Costco again this year. $@^&!#

There are already people camping outside of the Fry's Electronics in Fountain Valley. I'm pretty sure that Fry's is getting PS3's on launch day. But I have yet to confirm that with the Software DSC for that store. But it would be stupid not to, considering that Fry's has one of the highest per-store sales volumes.

TB

Since you have not played on the PS3s Online Network How can you say the 360s is Better.

Point 2, XBox Live is for Online Gaming, Downloading Demos Videos etc.; Could someone tell me what is so earth shattering about That.

I use XBox Live, there is nothing there that Sony is not going to be able to duplicate. I hear all these 360Fanboys talking about XBox Live being the "DeFacto Standard, bla, bla" There is nothing Genius about Automatic Matchmaking, Online Play, and Downloading. It is Not RocketScience. I almost think these guys work for Microsoft, because they are always Spewing the XBox Live is Some Superior Service so they can justify charging $49 a year for something that Sony will giving away for free.

My friend and I headed out to Walmart to start camping today. There were 8 people ahead of us in line. A few minutes after we got there, the manager came by and informed us that they only had 2 of the 60gb consoles and 3 of the 20gb ones. He also said he was authorized to sell rainchecks to up to 8 people. We decided it wasn't worth waiting for a raincheck, so we left. If a large retail store like Walmart is only 5, it's not surprising that small chains are getting none.

I work for Costco and I saw the e-mail. It was something along the lines of "Jim and (somebody who's name I don't know) decided to distribute the PS3 through e-commerce only. Please pass this along to notify your members." All I know is that we did show 2100 PS3s on order with no expected arrival date at our depot and the e-comm depot (and some other depots), but now no depot shows any on order. I would guess that Costco.com will have 2100. I don't know what time they will begin selling or anything. Sorry.

"Since you have not played on the PS3s Online Network How can you say the 360s is Better."

For one, the 360 network is a consistant network. The Sony Network (from what I have read) revolves around servers set up by the publishers. This implies that performance will be inconsistant between games.

Also - you get what you pay for, and MS has WAY more experience hosting and maintaining an internet service than Sony. MSN and Hotmail, etc, have been around for over a decade. What has Sony done in this arena? The online services for the PS2 SUCKED.

My local Meijer had a sign posted on their door saying "We are sold out of our allotment of PS3s" so I guess they're getting SOME in. I wasn't sure what their preorder system was, but apparently they're already all spoken for.

RE: whoever asked about Wiis at Costco, I called one place nearby trying to figure out what the bundle includes (Zelda, Excite Truck, maybe an extra wiimote -- my decision on where to buy the console hinges on that last item), and they said they were only selling them online now. I called a different place, and he said they were told to tell everybody they were only available online for now, but that they *might* actually have them in store on launch day, and he didn't really want to lie to customers about it.

Nobody could tell me whether or not there's an extra controller, though. If so, $340 for 2 good games and an extra controller would definitely be worth it. If not... well, my Target is supposed to get 120 of 'em.

North Shore of MA reporting in. No shipments to Sears or K-mart in Tewksbury, Nashua, Salem or Manchester.

Suck to be me :(

PS3 launch shipments restricted to top 5 retailers?

Reader Comments (32)

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