SHOPPERS have been left disappointed after Aldi sold out of the Nintendo Switch during the Black Friday sales within minutes of going on sale.
The supermarket was selling the games console in its Black Friday Specialbuys for £229.99 as well as Apple Airpods for just £89.99.
⚠️ Read our Black Friday 2020 live blog for the latest deals, news & updates
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Eager shoppers logged on to the Aldi website at midnight to land the online-only deals for the Nintendo Switch and Apple Airpods, but found there were none left just minutes later.
Some customers were put in a queue with nearly 100,000 waiting at one point.
It’s the same virtual waiting line software that’s used when Glastonbury tickets go on sale.
Aldi has used it before to manage demand for its Christmas Kevin the Carrot toys.
But on Black Friday some people forced to wait were still unable to land the console at the bargain price due to the huge demand.
One shopper tweeted: “Fair play Aldi on your website queuing system. All Nintendo Switches sold out by the time I got on, but it was very exciting watching numbers in the queue before me get lower.”
Another said: “Stayed up late and sat in a queue on Aldi’s site for an hour only for the Nintendo Switch to already be sold out when I got on there.”
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Apple Airpods had also sold out by early this morning.
And Nintendo Switch Lites also sold out quickly. The smaller version of the Switch was £169.99 in Aldi’s Black Friday sale and usually costs £199.99.
Aldi teased the Switch and Apple Airpod deals along with other discounts in an email on Thursday afternoon, telling customers they would be available online at midnight.
Also sold out was a Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon set which was reduced from £150 to £49.99.
And there were no refurbished iPhone 8s left in stock – they were reduced to £199.99 from £339.
Our tips for finding the best deals this Black Friday
IT might be tempting to dive in and snap up LOADS of items on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but here’s how you can guarantee you’re getting a good deal.
PREPARE Research the items you want to buy and find out the cheapest price. Websites like PriceSpy, PriceRunner and CamelCamelCamel will give you historical data on prices so you can see how much you should pay.
GET FOLLOWING Follow your favourite shops on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and sign up to its deals newsletter to get the latest on any offers. We post the best deals in our Sun Money Facebook group too.
EARN CASHBACK Check websites like Quidco and TopCashback BEFORE you place your order. Cashback websites PAY you to shop. All you have to do is click through their links and the money is added to your online account, usually within 14 days.
Shoppers are expected to spend £2million-a-minute online on Black Friday this year.
The coronavirus lockdown means shoppers can’t land their bargains in stores, with non-essential retailers forced to close under the rules.
Experts have warned that websites could crash due to unprecedented levels of cyber traffic.
Demand for the Nintendo Switch on sale has been high ahead of Christmas.
Tesco, which is allowed to open during the lockdown because it sells food and other essentials, was selling the games console for £229 in store earlier this week as part of the supermarket’s Black Friday deals.
But many shoppers found they were unable to find the bargain in their local store or that it had sold out already.
Check out all the latest discounts and deals on Black Friday.
Keep up with Black Friday events as they happen on our live blog.
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