Employee Demonstrates Real-Time Surge in Tech Prices

Prices for SSDs, RAM, and other memory components, along with GPUs, are climbing rapidly as companies like Intel prioritize supplying AI hyperscalers for their data center needs. Witnessing these price hikes firsthand in stores, especially when pointed out by an employee, adds to the frustration.

On January 28, a user named Scarfeezy shared images on Reddit showing how they used a phone app to significantly raise the prices of various SSDs, including one compatible with Xbox. A SanDisk 2TB external SSD saw its price soar from $200 to $520, while a Western Digital 1TB Xbox SSD expansion card jumped from $150 to $390. In a follow-up post, Scarfeezy also revealed a Nintendo-branded MicroSD card that increased from around $20 to $67.

In a conversation with an outlet, Scarfeezy, who preferred to keep their identity private, confirmed they work at a Target in Pennsylvania, which aligns with previous posts made in a Target subreddit. They mentioned that the price hikes extended to other SD cards as directed by Target.

A quick check on Target’s website shows that the inflated prices for items like the WD 1TB Xbox card are already reflected online. There’s also evidence of the SD card price increase, with the same card listed at two different prices, likely due to a backend error. Scarfeezy provided additional images of other products that experienced price hikes, including a PS5 SSD from Western Digital that now costs $564, up from $150.

In recent months, the cost of PC gaming and memory has surged, primarily due to AI hyperscalers and tech giants snapping up PC components for data centers. This trend is making it increasingly difficult for the average gamer to afford PC RAM, graphics cards, or even SSDs for consoles. Prebuilt PCs from brands like HP, Dell, and Asus are also expected to see price increases of 15 to 20 percent, which could pose challenges for console manufacturers as well.