What's up with Staples.ca?

[ExplodingFist]

Lots of threads posted about really good deals on hard drives, cameras, and some other items, where staples would let you purchase the order have the order show in your order history, but no confirmation e-mails were sent (I ordered some 2TB hard drives at $13.99). Apparently someone inside of Staples has said these items are discontinued and no stock is available, and the site was only recently changed (at about 5:30PM) to prevent new orders. Most people who have ordered still haven't received an e-mail saying the order is confirmed or cancelled.

So many great deals were posted online without stock at a price that is absolutely unbeatable to generate traffic, and then at the end of the day all of these items are retracted. How is this an acceptable business practice?

[kungfulu]

One of the marketing guys needed to hit his traffic goals. Mission accomplished.

[Jimboski]

Staples Is always OOS, Why bother.

[x2plyx]

Yeah I really don't know, it doesn't seem like it should be something they could legally do. If I had ordered anything I would be pretty po'd to find out they never actually had any stock in the first place.. ANYWHERE (like that $24 camera).

Apparently it's something that's pretty common since it has it's own "phantom stock" term too lol.

Someone else posted something about possibly using it as a way to screw with competitors that price match, seems like a possibility but why they do it could be a combination of things, who knows.

[ExplodingFist]

Staples Is always OOS, Why bother.

Out of stock is one thing. Having zero stock and allowing you to order is another. I (and most others) still haven't been told they won't complete the order.

[cba123]

They do this to get people to complain and bash BB and FS instead for not honouring their PM policy and refusing to match Staples prices for items that would never be fulfilled, or put BB/FS out of business when they actually PM these prices...Art of War...LOL.