Well, sort of. Apparently, console sales in Australia have spiked dramatically since the Rudd government bribed us introduced its economic stimulus package.According to the Herald Sun, “The latest official sales figures covering the five weeks to December 6 show the games market is up 39 per cent on the same period last year.”
More specifically related to the stimulus package is this little anecdote from Xbox Australia marketing manager, Jeremy Hinton:
Anecdotal evidence from retailers revealed the sale of new game consoles doubled in some cases the day after consumers received the Federal Government’s $1000 bonus in their bank accounts.
Microsoft marketing manager Jeremy Hinton said pre-Christmas Xbox 360 sales had been given a significant boost by the government handout.
He said that on the day the federal financial fillip kicked in last Wednesday – usually a quiet day for games outlets – some shop owners made frantic calls requesting more stock after being rushed by cashed-up shoppers.
“We had retailers on the phone saying, ‘Quick, we’ve almost sold out (of Xbox 360 consoles). We need more stock now,’ ” Mr Hinton told the Herald Sun.
“We had one of our retailers call us and say he sold 300 consoles on Tuesday and when the money kicked in by early Wednesday had sold 800.”
So, if you find a console under the tree this Christmas, just thank Kev.
And thanks to Dane for the tip!
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