SNES Classic Edition Sold Out: Pre-Orders Canceled by Walmart Leaving Many Gamers Frustrated
Gamers who ordered the SNES Classic Edition from Walmart were shocked after the retail giant canceled a number of pre-orders. The console was briefly made available on their website but the company has since stopped accepting orders.
The pre-orders went live on Friday, just 30 minutes before midnight and were available for just over half an hour. Walmart's website soon crashed and the company announced that the product was now sold out.
The following day, customers began posting on social media that their orders had been canceled. Some of the emails cited "unverifiable payment information" as the reason for the cancellation. However, a screenshot of a conversation with an alleged Walmart employee revealed that the pre-orders going live were due to a website error.
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The employee added that placed orders will be canceled, saying that the manufacturer doesn't have the units yet. The chat also revealed that the SNES Classic Edition was not supposed to be displayed on Walmart's website at that time. However, the employee assured that they will have it available soon.
The widespread cancellation of pre-orders caused a lot of confusion and frustration. The revelation that some customers were able to pre-order without issue also added to their resentment given that the console is such a hot-ticket item.
The first official statement from Walmart came Monday morning on one of the company's official Twitter accounts.
We are so sorry! The SNES Classics were released to soon. -Ash
— Walmart Help (@walmarthelp) July 24, 2017
Further statements by Walmart confirmed that the pre-orders went live by accident. However, the company has yet to issue a statement on whether all pre-orders will be canceled or just those that were placed after all of the stocks were allegedly "sold out."
Following the debacle, other retailers have announced that they will be offering pre-orders of the SNES Classic Edition in the near future.
