Just buying PS5 at its MSRP is something of a thankless task, scoring one at a discounted price is basically unheard of. Yet that’s exactly what’s happening for some shopper at Walmart, as the retailer is offering up to $100 off Sony’s in-demand console.
This saving isn’t because the mega-retailer is feeling generous however, it’s actually an attempt to placate frustrated customers after its last PS5 restock was a total disaster. Several customers have seen their console order essentially stuck in limbo and Walmart is trying to apologize for this. This situation was first spotted by Matt Swider of TechRadar.
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During Walmart’s last restock of Sony’s coveted gaming machine on March 18, the retailer apparently oversold its allocation. Selling more units than it actually had in stock. It turns out that many customers who thought they’d ordered a PS5 had actually really just pre-ordered a console for a future date.
Once the promised delivery date of April 9 passed, unsurprisingly these customers got pretty miffed and Walmart was forced to issue apology emails explaining the delay. Reportedly gamers who asked for some form of compensation have been offered between $50 and $100 off their order.
So WALMART update. I got told they pretty much dropped the ball on the 3/18 orders and I won't receive by tomorrow. They are going to restock on the 9th and try to get them out. Call and complain!!! I got 20% off so it'll cost me $428... So I guess I'll wait...April 7, 2021
Curiously some orders were just straight-up canceled, and there doesn’t seem to be a huge amount of reason behind how Walmart selected which orders to delay and which to outright cancel. It appears to just be a luck-of-the-draw situation, which has of course further frustrated customers who thought they’d finally secured a PS5.
It’s a tricky situation for Walmart, and it’s another example of a PS5 restock descending into a complete fiasco. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a retailer forced to issue an apology after a blotched restock.
Due to the need to fulfill these outstanding orders, we expect that the next Walmart restock will likely be a slightly smaller one, and hopefully this time the retailer doesn’t oversell. It’s believed that Walmart will next have stock on Thursday, April 15 assuming it sticks to its recent pattern of restocking every other Thursday between full months off.
Maybe one day buying a PS5 will be a simple task, but it definitely feels like that glorious day is still a way off. If anything restocks seem to be becoming less frequent in recent weeks. Nevertheless, we’re still tracking PS5 restock in our dedicated where to buy a PS5 guide, which can make the difficult task of finding a PS5 to purchase a little bit easier.
