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Complete Chaos At Tokyo Retailer Over PS5 Sales

Jawbreaker

Jawbreaker

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,411
New York City
kotaku.com

Complete Chaos At Tokyo Retailer Over PS5 Sales

The PlayStation 5 launched last November, but months later, it’s still hard to snag one, especially in Japan. Early today, the Yodobashi Camera electrics megastore in Akihabara, one of the biggest in the country, sold a huge shipment of PS5. All hell broke loose.
kotaku.com kotaku.com

Early today, the Yodobashi Camera electrics megastore in Akihabara, one of the biggest in the country, sold a huge shipment of PS5. All hell broke loose. People began shoving and pushing, descending on a Yodobashi clerk who had a stack of an estimated 300 numbered tickets to purchase the PS5.
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Why did this happen? As Twitter's AJapaneseDream points out, the Akihabara location is apparently only one of two Yodobashi Cameras in the greater Tokyo-Yokohama area that does not require the retailer's black credit card to purchase the hardware—a requirement that was instituted, it seems, to thwart resellers.
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There's a state of emergency currently in Japan due to COVID-19, so this is doubly wild.
 
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RedHeat

RedHeat

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,690
giphy.gif
 
Gradon

Gradon

Saw the truth behind the copied door
Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,470
UK
Are they not doing online sales in Japan? No retailer here would just let you walk in store and buy one... this seemed horribly planned out considering the pandemic.
 
Buckle

Buckle

Member
Oct 27, 2017
41,100
I..feel like the masks lose abit of their effectiveness when people cram together like sardines in a can but then again, I'm not a doctor.
 
GamePnoy74

GamePnoy74

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,539
Super-spreader or not, his looks mild compared to console launches in the US.

Been to Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara when I vacationed in Tokyo five years ago...loved that place, so massive and has so much stuff.
 
cvxfreak

cvxfreak

DINO CRISIS SUX
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
945
Tokyo
Ugh, all that yelling and commotion, within a closed space, among a large crowd in a close contact setting... the chance of a cluster forming are significant.

Sales need to be kept to online only. There's no point driving foot traffic during a state of emergency for a product with high demand relative to its supply.
 
Afrikan

Afrikan

Member
Oct 28, 2017
16,989
Government is gonna require Sony reroute some of their stock to Japan or else. 😬
 
the_bromo_tachi

the_bromo_tachi

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
1,367
Japan
Gradon said:
Are they not doing online sales in Japan? No retailer here would just let you walk in store and buy one... this seemed horribly planned out considering the pandemic.
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I gave up around December but most online retailers were still doing the lottery system. I bet they're still doing it. I decided just to wait until I can normally buy a ps5.
 
Joltik

Joltik

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,762
Bruh, they straight up pushed out the protective sheeting from the cashier area.
 
Grips

Grips

Member
Oct 5, 2020
4,962
Mainframe
Kinda weird Ive been kinda bored after playing so much PS5 and I see people fight for it.
Is this what a rich kid feels like?
 
Futabaisthebest<3

Futabaisthebest<3

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,874
Unfortunately, they were only doing this to avoid buying the online from the scalpers because they are all everywhere now. :\
 
cvxfreak

cvxfreak

DINO CRISIS SUX
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
945
Tokyo
Ascenion said:
Allowing? Does Sony actually have any say in how retailers choose to sell merchandise?
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Sony can't force retailers to do anything, officially, but there is a high level of cooperation between retailers, distributors and manufacturers in Japan and it wouldn't take much to hash out a plan to everyone's mutual benefit.
 
cvxfreak

cvxfreak

DINO CRISIS SUX
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
945
Tokyo
Ariesfirebomb said:
That's not Sony's problem.
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I disagree. They can certainly elicit the cooperation of Japan's largest electronics retailer in providing a safe avenue to sell PS5s during this pandemic. The home office could also stop sending Japan a disproportionately low amount of units–Japan has been Sony's second largest single country through the PS4.
 
brokenswiftie

brokenswiftie

Prophet of Truth
Banned
May 30, 2018
2,921
Ascenion said:
Allowing? Does Sony actually have any say in how retailers choose to sell merchandise?
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cvxfreak said:
Sony can't force retailers to do anything, officially, but there is a high level of cooperation between retailers, distributors and manufacturers in Japan and it wouldn't take much to hash out a plan to everyone's mutual benefit.
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blog.playstation.com

PlayStation 5: Launch Day Ordering Update

Launch-day sales will be online-only this year, so please plan ahead.
blog.playstation.com blog.playstation.com

They did it for US launch
They can do it in Japan now too
 
Bowl0l

Bowl0l

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,608
my local retailer had an odd system to filter out buyers.
They allocate PS5 based on who message them through FB. Quite effective because i message them on June 2020 and i only get my PS5 on January.

Meanwhile, a certain company subsidiary, Sony Singapore setup shop in two popular online market place in Malaysia, Lazada and Shopee
where news of incoming restock are reported by news site in less than 24 hours before restocks happen.
 
Filth_Flannigan

Filth_Flannigan

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,025
brokenswiftie said:
Sony is being incredibly irresponsible by allowing in-store sales
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Sony cannot mandate how a store sells the product they purchase from Sony. They can do it how they want. Just like how Sony said when PS5 Preorders would be available in the US at retailers, and nearly every store put them up before Sony said they would be available.
 
perfectchaos007

perfectchaos007

It's Happening
Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,244
Texas
In the US, no retailers are selling PS5's or Series X in stores to avoid mad rushes like this due to the pandemic. I guess Japan forgot about covid?
 
Phellps

Phellps

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,808
This is crazy. Just seeing all those people crammed in there is triggering my claustrophobia.
 
Niks

Niks

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,299
Man, this is going to be the norm until when?
PS5 shortages making usually well behaved japanese go mad.
 
data

data

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,722
So most of them were probably scalpers right? Since it was pointed out it didn't need the black credit card thjng
 
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