The end of the PS5 shortage: can we really find it in Brittany?
“Those who want a PS5 should have an easier time finding one from now on.” These words were signed by the head of Sony’s video game division, Jim Ryan, on the occasion of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas. But what is really in stores, the long-desired console suffered from a shortage of electronic components? Can we find PS5s on shelves in Brittany? We picked up the phone to make a number of phone calls throughout the region to find out.
No stock
Go to the regional prefecture to start our search. We draw a blank in the Saint-Grégoire Culture (35). “We don’t have it in stock at the moment. We bought a lot for the Christmas period, but the supply is only dwindling. It’s like that since it was released,” says our interlocutor. The search is a little more fruitful at Micromania in the Columbia mall. “A few are available on site or to order: we’re sure it’s a lot better than it was a year ago,” we’re sure.
Restocking is a little more regular, but we only know the day before for the next day
So this shortage is over? That would be declaring victory too soon. In the same vein, PS5s are sold out in Vannes: “The restocking is a little more regular, but we only know the day before for the next day.” Not much better at Fnac of Lannion (22) or Pontivy (56). And each time the answer is the same: the shelves are empty and the stores have not received any information about any major deliveries coming. Contacted, the press service of the Fnac Darty group confirms the difficulties and says that it has set up a waiting list system for customers in all its stores. We are told that “terms are fortunately shorter and shorter now.” Guaranteed: Brittany is no more affected than other regions.
The holidays gave some relief
All our interlocutors are completely unanimous: the demand is still there. “Several requests a week”, “calls every day”… The manager of the Saint-Brieuc brand, who prefers to remain anonymous, confirms: “There is a demand from 2020. We have a few PS5s in stock, but we don’t put them on the shelves because the delivery isn’t big enough.
We cannot say that the situation has normalized.
Year-end celebrations allowed for shipments, but the consoles went as quickly as they arrived. At Leclerc Culturel in Carhaix (29), one of the service managers said he bought between 20 and 25 for the Christmas period. “They were all sold out in two days. Today we are dry and don’t know when we will be delivered. It is better than before, but we cannot say that the situation has returned to normal. Brest Cultura also “bought a few PS5s for the holidays”. However, it is no longer in stock at the beginning of the year.
We found PS5s in Quimper
However, there is no question of us giving up. We tell ourselves that we will find somewhere eventually. And finally… “Wait, I’ll ask my colleague in charge of the department to come, but I think we have too much.” Jackpot! It is in Quimper that we find our happiness. – Yes, there are several of them on the shelf. Leclerc Culturel, which is consistently delivered in 2022, still owns the PS5. “We used to get one or two every now and then, then around twenty in October and fifty before Christmas. Although we haven’t bought anything since then, there is some left.
Excessive prices on resale sites
The only problem is that the console is bought not alone, but necessarily in a package with games and a controller for 750 euros. A stroke of luck? Not even. We have confirmed that consoles are also available at Micromania Quimper very soon. “For a short week, no more, we’re lucky to be well equipped.” And for the less patient, there remains the solution of person-to-person sales sites. For example, Leboncoin has more than a hundred offers in the entire region. But the difficulty of finding consoles prompts sellers to offer them at exorbitant prices: up to 1,500 euros…
