Sony and Microsoft fans have both had a rough go of it this holiday season trying to get their hands on this year's next-generation consoles. Gamers have been left scrambling to stores like Best Buy and Walmart on the daily, keeping track of each new release and waiting for the exact right moment to click the "add to cart" and "checkout" buttons in order to finally nab devices before they sell out in just seconds.
Some hope appeared amid the frustration on Tuesday, as Best Buy went live with their restock at 9 a.m. Shoppers were quickly disappointed, however, by a complete website crash that made it impossible to check out, leaving them with a screen that said: "We're sorry, something went wrong."
Walmart swooped in to save the day, announcing a surprise restock of both consoles going on sale at 3 p.m. ET the same day. Within minutes of releases, however, Walmart experienced its own tech issues, leaving shoppers stuck on a "please wait" screen as they tried to check out. Some Twitter users even claimed that consoles were taken out of their carts, while others said they were able to secure their orders and were sent email confirmations only to be told by Walmart minutes later their order could not be filled.
Me too! All my kid wants. Been up since 3:30 am PST started at Target, then to Best Buy, then Walmart. Walmart had me check out 3 times and pay and then took it away. 🤬 This is exhausting.
— carriexoc (@carriexoc1) December 15, 2020
The simple phrase "please wait" began trending on Twitter as consumers took to the app in a desperate attempt at troubleshooting. Many asked if others were getting similar messages from the sites, while some begged for tips on how to break through security blocks or how often to refresh their browsers. Some lamented that the retailers, Best Buy specifically, hadn't better prepared after the technical issues that plagued other rounds of release.
As with many limited tech releases, retail websites are circled by bots and scalpers who purchase the products en mass only to turn around and sell them for double, triple, or quadruple the market price. Disappointed shoppers took to the product listings themselves on the Walmart and Best Buy websites to vent their frustrations in the reviews, with one commenter imploring Walmart to fix its site so "actual people can get" the PS5, saying: "When next console comes out, do something different so bots can't get at them. I love the system but not the way Walmart chose to sell it."
"Website and app is trash. Only good for the bots," said another 1-star review on Walmart.
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8">It took @Walmart 15 or so seconds AFTER the 3:40 releases time for me to even see it as ADD TO CART! What kind crap is that?! @PlayStation needs to just release the damn flood gates so it’s not so hard to get a damn #ps5 https://t.co/vi8IGQqi2C
— Steve Felker🕙 (@SteveFelker_) December 15, 2020
Some tweets of thanks for Walmart were sprinkled in among the complaints, as the lucky few who were able to secure consoles, seemingly by sheer luck, reported a better buying experience than previous attempts with other sites. User @ap72350 tweeted at Walmart, saying: "Thanks for learning from past mistakes and learning how to do proper drops, finally got my hands on a PS5 thanks to you guys, maybe Best Buy should learn something from you guys."
Neither retailer has announced when they plan to offer the next batch of PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles on their websites.
