Consumer Electronics
Xbox One, PlayStation 4 Availability Challenges Holiday Sales
Published:
Last Updated:
Both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 from Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) sold a million units on their first day of availability. Since then, each has sold more than an additional million units, with Sony reaching that milestone almost exactly a week earlier than Microsoft because the PlayStation 4 was released a week earlier.
Game console sales at GameStop were expected to rise sharply in the current quarter, but without an Xbox One on the shelf, those hopes could be dashed. After calling Xbox One “one of our hottest selling products of this holiday season,” a company spokesman is quoted in Microsoft’s announcement saying that GameStop “is working closely with Microsoft to receive more units… .”
A Walmart executive is cited saying much the same thing, “We are refreshing our inventory as fast as we can … .”
A quick check at nowinstock.com indicates that the PlayStation 4 is out of stock at all locations except eBay, where the controller sells for as much as $639, well above the $399 list price. Nowinstock.com shows the Xbox One available at several retailers, including Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY) and Amazon at the $499 list price and up to $670 at eBay. At GameStop and Walmart the Xbox One is listed as out of stock.
Scarcity may be a good public relations ploy, but it is not a good thing for retailers like Walmart and GameStop which make a large chunk of their annual sales during the holiday season. Both Sony and Microsoft appear to have chosen to take the “scarcity is good” tack rather than make sure that their sales channels could get all the product they could sell.
The last few years made people forget how much banks and CD’s can pay. Meanwhile, interest rates have spiked and many can afford to pay you much more, but most are keeping yields low and hoping you won’t notice.
But there is good news. To win qualified customers, some accounts are paying almost 10x the national average! That’s an incredible way to keep your money safe and earn more at the same time. Our top pick for high yield savings accounts includes other benefits as well. You can earn up to 3.80% with a Checking & Savings Account today Sign up and get up to $300 with direct deposit. No account fees. FDIC Insured.
Click here to see how much more you could be earning on your savings today. It takes just a few minutes to open an account to make your money work for you.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.