Management Heads Roll for Enforced 360 Bundles

According to report in the Enquirer today, US retailer Best Buy has fired management elements responsible for forcing customers to purchase massive and unwanted Xbox 360 bundles during the system's tempestuous launch.

As you may have read, various retailers converted pre-orders for Xbox 360, placed in good faith by consumers, into huge bundles, costing up to $1,000. The offer was simply put: You either got an Xbox 360 as part of a massive bundle or you waited it out like everyone else.

Although the report referenced above is unconfirmed at time of press, the source does assert that several managers at various levels at the electronics retailer lost their jobs as a result of the bundle practice. “We are told a manager that started the procedure is no longer employed at Best Buy. At least one senior district manager is no longer employed, and some of the nailings are rumoured to have gone even higher,” it states.

Of course, this news will be welcomed by consumers and console manufacturers alike, though it's unlikely to change the general (very much self-regulated) operating procedures of the games retail sector. The practice of bundling a console with games on the surface seems like a winner for everyone. The consumer sees added value, publishers enjoy added sales and the retailer turns over its stock, seemingly at a low profit rate. However, this view is far removed from the reality.

Historically, bundled consoles represent a blight for everyone except the retailer. The main issue arises with shipping a large number of unpopular, often low-quality software titles with a new machine. This often slows down the gamer's ability to justify further expenditure on new games, impacting directly on legitimate game sales. You should also bear in mind that said retailers are likely buying the games it bundles at a tiny price from the publisher, usually taking overstock at minimal cost, always on sale-or-return basis. The peripherals retails bundle tend to often be product from the bottom-feeders of the third-party industry.

You then have perhaps the most important problem in the chain – a consumer with a new piece of gaming hardware, bought after an unrelenting marketing campaign, equipped with low-quality software and peripherals at higher cost than a unit with two pads and a decent game.

The situation is easily rectified. It takes you, the gamers, to vote with your wallets. If you're buying the machine yourself – don't. Just wait it out. It's not life-saving medicine, it's a games machine. Refuse to be forced into buying bundled hardware. And if you're having the machine bought for you, take cash and either go elsewhere or again. Wait until you're offered not only a fair deal, but the deal you want: A machine at a decent price with high-quality gaming software.