Everything’s out of stock!

[Maryann1975]

I get that this is a really first world problem and that with everything else going on, it’s totally minor, but I’m really struggling, all the main presents I’m wanting to buy are all out of stock everywhere! Xbox, iPad and the big new Harry Potter Lego set.
I can get an iPad delivered in January, but don’t know if I should do that or risk waiting to see if they come in stock elsewhere before then. I know there has been massive demand fo this type of product (which is why we want one, it feels much better to give it to her for Christmas rather than for no reason).
And as for the xbox, what were Microsoft (or whoever makes them) thinking? Why have they not made enough, did they not foresee that there would be a massive demand for them? Or is that part of the master marketing plan that I don’t quite get. Keep them restricted to keep people talking about them, but in the end there will be enough for everyone?

Anyone else struggling to get items they want or is just me? Are you accepting that some gifts might have to be late or holding out for more stock to appear in the shops in the next couple of weeks?

@VinylDetective

There’s something every year. There was the year middle class women were coming to blows over Teletubbies in John Lewis. The year you couldn’t get Space Lego and the year anything Tracey Island was as easy to find as rocking horse shit. 🤷‍♀️

The year of the Teletubbies was a nightmare. We had a yellow pages and I had everyone in work redialing every Woolies, Argos, ToysRus daily until I could track one down, and all I could finally get was crappy Dipsy 🙄.

I remember the At-At and Millennium Falcon saga my parents had to go through for my brother 30 years ago. There's always a drought on the 'it' toys.

*40 years ago!

Have you tried H & M for Harry Potter? I got DD a lovely dressing gown (from the boys section ) that was similar to the M & S one - I ummm’d and ahhh’d too long over ordering it.

People thought it was a marketing ploy but turns out it really is low stock. John Lewis on launch day only had 500 across all stores and within seconds of the 8am launch they were gone.

Low stock is the marketing ploy.

It's happened for almost every release of major games consoles that I can remember.

TheLastStarfighter I try to guide, mainly because I have to budget and they can’t ask for more than one high priced item each. I also try to discourage gaming devices, because DC1 has no concept of the time spent playing computer games and I do not want the daily/weekend argument about turning it off. I already have it on a small scale and it causes a huge amount of arguing and pestering.

There is only so much I can say no to when they start writing lists, and I want to get what is on them.

Once the letter is written, that’s it. No going back. We have a couple of November birthdays and I try to keep Xmas discussions until after the birthdays. This year i haven’t managed it well.

@Lorw

I got my husbands PS5 the day the preorders were released a few months ago, stayed up till 2am and didn’t have a problem buying it. We were waiting for preorders to drop as knew they were releasing for Christmas, with new tech you have to be on it. I got all my Christmas shopping done in September and I am stress free thank god.

Keep an eye on Twitter for the Xbox etc, a lot of places are saying jan delivery now

You know that type of personality that makes people swerve it at parties for being insufferably smug?

@Autumnblooms

We bought all our presents in September/October. This happens every year it isn’t a new problem due to COVID.

I don’t know why people leave things so last minute?

I’m sure you can work the answer to this out for yourself.

Primark is good for Harry Potter PJ's etc, if anyone is still looking.

There are masses of Android and other tablets out there. Does it have to be an iPad?.

I worked in Argos when power rangers were the rage. They would go as soon as a delivery came through and as the customer couldn't choose the colour, we'd get loads of pink ones returned. Then frustrated people thinking they were back in stock, not happy it was only pink ones.

I tell you what’s going to be more of an issue. Trying to get a Christmas food delivery or click and collect if your isolating

Yep, popular things are out of stock really quickly. 2 years ago I hunted for a Fantastic Beasts calendar and ended up doing my own in a calendar maker program as it was nowhere to be found the next day after it appeared in stock.
As for the HP lego- I've seen a train on Ebay, maybe it will suit you- www.ebay.com/itm/LEGO-Train-Harry-Potter-Hogwarts-Express-Steam-Locomotive-Engine-Tender-ONLY/264493680991?hash=item3d950d495f:g:lAEAAOSwUMpdnoEB

Production and supplies have definitely been affected by covid this year. Though there is always a big fight over new consoles so that's no surprise.

What pisses me off is when an order is accepted then you get an email a week later saying it's out of stock!!

Re Apple, this probably didn’t help stock:

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-northamptonshire-54972784

I always think of the film Jingle All The Way and how nowadays it just doesn’t happen because people sit at home buying things for ten times the price on eBay instead.

You have to be quick with technology I’m afraid, it was the same with the switch last year and a couple of the new switch games which we were lucky to get for DS but we had to hunt around for it.

The feckin stress of trying to get the new bloody x boxes. Amazon came through in the end but why they release a few at a time - its mad. When they were small we always got the must have toys in the Argos for 3 for 2 October sale.

I appreciate some people cannot buy early but the madness of shopping anyway plus covid made me start in August. I cannot abide shopping in real life so online has been great for me. The thought of queuing outside in December gave me the kick up the arse to start early.

@Autumnblooms

We bought all our presents in September/October. This happens every year it isn’t a new problem due to COVID.

I don’t know why people leave things so last minute?

Because if you live in a small house etc with very limited storage space (our attic is converted) you literally have nowhere to put the stuff? Because you want to spread the cost? Both are big factors for us. In other words people have different kinds of lives.

Also I wouldn't call end-of-November horribly last minute

Also some (most?) younger DC fall in and out of love with things quite quickly.

I shopped early and was organised but didn’t get hold of a ps5 and it’s not looking likely before Christmas now. I was working in Argos as a Saturday girl when the ps2 was released and remember I managed to get my hands on one for my boyfriend the morning they came out, I got alllll the brownie points that year.

I’ve just spent all evening looking online for an iPad. We had a nightmare trying to get a switch last year and I swore that I wouldn’t make that mistake again. But here we are 🙄🤦🏽‍♀️

Lidl have got a huge Harry Potter section, with a Lego night bus

DS1 wanted the new Xbox for his birthday, a week ago. Couldn't find one anywhere we're now on a couple of waiting lists.

Dd8 is at that Age where she is into all the popular stuff. So she wanted a switch Lite for Christmas, we had one left at work as we were to stop selling them. Got discount. Lucky I did they haven’t been in stock since September. She’s also into l.o.l dolls and some of the ones she wanted are out of stock now. I always buy early for this reason. DS has birthday right after Christmas, one year I thought I’d wait and get his presents in the sale and I couldn’t get anything he wanted as it was all out of stock.

You can sign up for Xbox alerts on the Stock Informer website and it will alert you when it comes back in to stock. You’ve got to act quick though, I’m going through the same with a ps5

M&S are quickly running out of stock too.