A gamer recently went to Target to purchase a Switch OLED, only to return home and find the box didn't contain the actual console pictured. The absence of the console itself could definitely make things difficult when the individual attempts to play any of the Switch games they likely purchased to go with it.
Even though Nintendo reports a drop in Switch sales, the console continues to sell at a sufficiently brisk pace to keep the hardware near the top of wish lists everywhere. One of the biggest issues now is market saturation; since the Switch has now sold more units than even the popular PlayStation 4, the number of households with gamers who don't already own Nintendo's hybrid console grows smaller every month. Devious thieves who interfere with legitimate purchases don't help matters.
On TikTok, user raven.aleshia shared a brief video showing what they found upon opening the Switch OLED box after a shopping trip at Target. They theorize that the store took a return from a previous purchaser, who must have used a 3D printer to produce a semi-believable model of the actual hardware. That's a $350 item, which likely slipped through the returns process at the store as scammers took advantage of harried workers. At least the theft, though irritating, wasn't as brazen and dangerous as the time someone broke into a home and stole the family's consoles at gunpoint.
Assuming the matter is quickly resolved, the TikTok user should be set up to have a good time in the coming months. The list of upcoming Nintendo Switch releases includes highly anticipated titles such as Fire Emblem Engage, Persona 4 Portable, Kirby's Return to Dreamland Deluxe, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, Digimon World: Next Order, and Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key in the next couple of months alone, with many more to follow in the ensuing weeks.
Large retailers such as Target are frequently the victim of scams like the one that appears to have been perpetrated with the Nintendo Switch. Thieves count on employees being too busy to pay close attention even when more expensive items are returned, but there are usually systems in place to protect consumers who find themselves serving as secondary victims. Hopefully, the case of the disappearing Switch OLED is soon solved and the impacted gamer can enjoy some extended gaming sessions. If buying software at a store seems risky until things settle down a bit, they can always head online to purchase some of the best Nintendo Switch indie games from the eShop. Thieves can't steal things out of the box if there's no box, after all.
