Syracuse, N.Y. — Amazon is yanking its gift cards from retail stores in New York, but the online retailing behemoth is saying little about the move.
WGRZ (NBC 2) in Buffalo first reported over the weekend that Amazon gift cards have disappeared from store shelves in Western New York and possibly all of New York.
Among the stores where Amazon gift cards are no longer sold is Tops Friendly Markets. Kathy Sautter, a spokesperson for the supermarket chain, told syracuse.com that Amazon decided to remove their gift cards from all retail stores in New York between July 1 and Oct. 1. She said she had no further information on the move.
Evelyn Ingram, a spokesperson for Wegmans, confirmed Amazon has pulled its gift cards out of all of the supermarket chain’s New York locations, but not from its stores in other states.
Amazon itself is not saying much. On Monday, an Amazon spokesperson said only that the company periodically experiments with the way its gift cards are sold so that it can provide the best shopping experience. The spokesperson said customers can still purchase gift cards at any time on Amazon.com.
It’s unclear whether Amazon will make the same change in other states.
Companies like Amazon sell their gift cards to stores for less than their original value. So, the stores make an immediate profit when they sell them to consumers. Amazon, however, gets to keep the entire amount for cards sold on its website.
Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | X | Facebook | 315-470-3148
