It’s a problem that most retailers really haven’t addressed much (if at all) and certainly haven’t done much to fix. Short of PlayStation Direct who has been doing queues since last Fall when the console launched, most places have just been listing the restock times and then proceeding to sell out. Although have attempted to implement two-step processes or waiting lines just like Sony. Now though, retailers like Walmart, GameStop, and others are starting to put PS5 restock units behind paywalls.
Retailers like Walmart are using paywalls for PS5 restock sales
Walmart seems to be the retailer where this is popping up most frequently. Or at least that’s how it appears to be. Just in the last month alone, Walmart has put up sales of the PS5 through its Walmart+ membership twice. So to get access to buy the console, you’d have to be subscribed to the Walmart+ membership. Which costs $13 a month. It also didn’t allow free trial members access. So there was no way around having to pay for at least one month of the membership before you had the chance to buy a PS5 through this method. GameStop has done this as well. Putting up stock of the console but only for its paid membership subscribers. And Best Buy has done the same thing through its Total Tech program. Which has a $200 annual membership cost.
The fight against bots is an opportunity to make a buck
For retailers like Walmart, GameStop, and Best Buy, paid membership programs are an upsell opportunity. These memberships have been offered long before the PS5 restock issues were in play. But now that buyers with bot programs are still getting a hold of what seems like a majority of sales, retailers are seeing the opportunity to potentially make a buck and up their membership subscriber counts. It’s worth keeping in mind that subscribing doesn’t guarantee anyone a purchase of Sony’s latest console. Just an improved chance because it’s less likely that users with bot programs will spend the money on these memberships. Then again, none of the memberships are really that expensive. And with the increase in price resellers get from flipping the consoles, they may view membership prices as an acceptable loss if it means they get stock. Which they can then sell for hundreds more than MSRP.
