We’ve been talking about the issues of RAM and GPU pricing over the last few months, all being driven by massive demand in the AI industry. What I couldn’t have predicted is that at least one Costco, and many other retailers, are taking efforts to lock up this valuable and very portable commodity away from the hands of potential shoplifters. The reports are coming out that some of the story displays have been stripped of these valuable components on the floor, as they are easily snagged. Some of these components have moved up so much in price that some of the price tags have been removed, and we’re back at something I haven’t seen since the 90’s… where you ask for the spot price of the product, much like you would with gold or silver. As a quick aside, due to the price of RAM and graphics cards, as well as CPUs, the computer that I purchased at Thanksgiving for $2000, is now retailing at nearly $3500.
The retailer is either pre-emptively keeping those expensive parts out of the hands of shoplifters… or said shoplifters have already helped themselves.
Source: Costco reportedly pulls RAM and GPUs from display PCs due to theft
