According to this article over at MacRumors, it's true. And, this wouldn't surprise me one bit. Here's why.
While recently shopping for an iPad 2 I tried the online inventory systems at Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Target. Wal-Mart's system worked well online, but the one store that claimed to have some in stock actually didn't when I went there in person. I'll give them a pass, though, because the entire store was undergoing an inventory at that time (clearly needed!).
Target's inventory system was accurate and very timely. I saw one local store had the model I wanted in stock, but by the time I drove there and got to the electronics department the iPad 2 had been sold to someone else. I went back to the parking lot and checked their inventory from my truck and saw that their system was already reflecting the store's sold-out status.
Best Buy's inventory system consistently showed the stores having stock available, but each store I went to I got the same response: "Oh, yeah, we probably have some but they're reserved for people who pre-ordered." OK, that may be true, but if so you should not be showing those items as being in inventory and available for sale. I wasted a fair amount of time and gas getting this kind of run-around.
Now MacRumors' story indicates that the sales teams at the stores were just selling to meet their daily sales quotas and withholding stock that went beyond their quotas. Maybe that's what I was experiencing as well? Regardless of the root cause, it's a black eye for Best Buy.
UPDATE: Looks like the original story wasn't accurate. However, I still stand by my experience at Best Buy.
Comments