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Expensive items have long been locked up behind the counter or behind theft-deterrent systems in retail stores. I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve had to find an electronics rep in various stores to unlock the glass cases and get the games I wanted to purchase. Some stores are even locking up essentials now to cut back on theft, including things like toothpaste, baby formula, shampoo and much more. With price fluctuations and retail theft on the rise, you’d expect to see a lot more of this happening, and it probably shouldn’t be a surprise that it does. But one newly discovered Costco tactic is still alarming, despite making perfect sense.
PC Mag reports that Costco has removed expensive PC components from pre-built systems is has displayed on shelves to deter theft. More specifically, the RAM and GPUs have been removed, despite those demo units still remaining powered on. With the RAM modules, it makes total sense, as one could easily remove the sticks from a PC build. The GPUs, on the other hand, would be tougher to conceal simply because modern graphics cards are so large.
It might seem a tad silly to see pre-built PCs without these components, but Costco’s plan does make sense in the wake of RAM and storage prices increasing. Everything from laptops and PCs to smartphones and TVs is seeing skyrocketing price fluctuations. Maybe Costco will start removing hard drives and SSDs soon, too?
Why would Costco remove these components from pre-built PCs?
While the PCs are on display, on store shelves, it makes them an easy target for thieves and would-be nefarious parties. You could easily, say, swipe the RAM or GPUs, or even other expensive components and walk away, especially if they are the real, working parts. The Costco strategy requires interested buyers to inquire at the point of sale, purportedly where they will be given the real parts, or most likely, given the working PCs — the ones on display are not.
This comes at a time when PC parts scams are fairly common. Customers buying parts and pre-built offerings at other places are sometimes sent counterfeit goods, find brand new GPUs swapped out for rocks or placeholders, or run into old, aging RAM disguised as new DDR5 types. Scammers are also taking advantage of the expensive parts market altogether, using scalping techniques to raise prices inordinately, or offering fake listings with prices that are too good to be true. Seeing all of this play out, it makes sense why Costco would remove expensive components in demo units on store shelves.
One could hope that other retailers will follow Costco’s lead, helping to cut down on issues that will only drive up prices more and create worsening shortages. Then again, either way you look at it, chip shortages and price jumps are probably coming for everything tech-related that you love, if they haven’t already.
