One thing Nintendo is notoriously known for is their lack of sales. I’m not talking about actually selling a product, but cutting down the prices from time to time. When they do, we are looking at gaps in months for a minuscule amount in savings. Often times, sales are actually implemented by the retailer rather than Nintendo itself. This is where Wal-Mart comes into play.
Savings Deals on Switch Games
A few months back a post popped up in a local gaming forum that caught my attention. They had pointed out that the prices of Nintendo games seemingly had dropped in price about $10 for most games, a bit higher for others. This was good as I had my eyes set on Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, and this saved me a pinch of moolah.
Months went by and noticeably, the prices did not move. Games released and in-store the prices remained roughly $10 less than at other retailers. This had me curious about what Wal-Mart is actually doing. When checking the online prices, they remained the typical $60 price point that you would see in normal circumstances. My second question was how widespread is this?
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Local or Nationwide?
I asked around from a few friends and colleagues at the Lords of Gaming to check their local Wal-Marts when they had a chance. I had to determine if this was a Dallas-Fort Worth thing, or was this more wide-spread? Sure enough, the $10 decrease was found in Alabama, New York, and West Virginia, leading me to believe this is a nationwide initiative. Secondly, why would this be in store but not online? Simply put, I theorize this is to eliminate price-matching. If you cannot go to your favorite retailer and pull the price up online, this means the only way you can get the savings is by bringing foot traffic within Wal-Mart itself.
I’ve reached out to Wal-Mart with no response as of yet, but I am curious if this is a permanent fixture or a temporary plan to increase their gaming sales? The sales drop also varied with the Xbox and PlayStation counterparts but seemed unanimous with Switch games. Is your Wal-Mart dropping the in-store prices as well? Let us know in the comment section below!
