Best Buy Unable to Fill Black Friday Orders

Best Buy announced this week that it would be unable to fill all the orders it received online over the last two months due to overwhelming demand. Like other retailers, Best Buy offered special Internet-only deals and free shipping for online purchases to boost online shopping, but the strategy appears to have backfired for Best Buy as it must now refund some of those sales and watch its reputation take a hit over the gaffe.

Unlike some online retailers, who specified maximum order totals for shoppers to qualify for free shipping, Best Buy had no minimum, a mistake that likely boosted the number of transactions. The company did not specify how many orders would have to be refunded, or which products it had run out of. It did release a statement announcing the issue, noting that it had already notified all affected customers.

Customers did not take kindly that their purchases had been nullified, and many had already begun posting negative comments on message boards on Best Buy’s website. The company tried to diminish the negative impact from the bad publicity by also announcing on its website that it was offering substantial savings on a wide range of tech-related, both online and in stores, though the Christmas holiday, now just three days away.