Best Buy is once again restocking its supply of Nvidia Geforce RTX 30 GPUs in stores across the US. On Thursday, August 26 at 7:30 am local time, employees will begin handing out tickets to customers waiting to buy a card.
Customers that have been struggling to beat bots online may have a shot at an in-store purchase as long as supplies last. The retailer's ticketing system will only permit employees to give one ticket per customer in line, and the actual purchasing process to those who receive a ticket will begin at 8:00am local time. Not every Best Buy will have the GPUs in stock, so if you're on the hunt to complete your gaming PC, you should check out your local store's supply before heading there. Best Buy locations with mask mandates will require customers to wear face coverings in the store, and regardless of local ordinance, you're encouraged to wear one due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
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This isn't the first time Best Buy has used its ticket system for GPU sales at its brick-and-mortar locations, a system set in place to hopefully curb dangerous crowds. These systems are set up on a first-come, first-serve basis, so customers that are eager to grab Nvidia's often out-of-stock cards often line up hours early—sometimes even the night before. Back in June, GPU owning hopefuls rushed Micro Centers across the country, and a crowd at its Dallas location charged its doors in a rush to be first in line.
Nvidia's RTX 3070, 3080, and 3090 cards continue to fly off the shelves in both physical and digital storefronts. Nvidia has stated it's struggling to meet the demands of consumers, as the world currently faces a chip shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and sharp uptick in crypto mining. Its since taken steps to resolve the latter, implementing crypto limiters on most of its new hardware.
The chip problem isn't hurting just Nvidia, but its competition too. Nvidia, joined by companies like AMD and Intel, penned a letter to US President Joe Biden asking the administration for help in addressing the issue. Last February, President Biden pursued a solution to the manufacturing obstacles facing tech companies, signing an executive order that would launch a review into the country's supply chain process.
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