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Desperate for a Switch 2? You Might Want to Camp Out at Staples Next Week

The office supply store will have the highly anticipated gaming handled in stock at 349 stores across the US, but you'll have to show up in person for a chance to nab one on June 5.

 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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UPDATE 5/30: Staple now says: "While inventory is expected to begin arriving as early as June 5, availability will vary by location and is not guaranteed on that specific date." So it sounds like not every participating store will have the Switch 2 on launch day.

Original story:

If you want to buy a Switch 2 on launch day, don’t forget to check out your local office supplies store. Staples plans on carrying the console on June 5 at hundreds of locations across the US.

Staples tells us this is "a rare second chance" for consumers to nab a Switch 2 after preorders sold out weeks earlier. Participating locations will offer "1 console per customer per day, while supplies last,” it says. Check out this web page to see if your local store will carry the Switch 2. 

Importantly, Staples is only selling the console in-store, meaning you’ll need to wait in line, possibly overnight, to have a chance at scoring a Switch 2. “Availability is first-come, first-served, and the [online] list does not show real-time inventory,” the retailer adds. 

The stores will offer the standalone Switch 2 for $449 and the Switch 2 bundle with Mario Kart World for $500. Staples notes that it "has also leveled up its gaming accessories, with in-store finds like ergonomic gaming chairs, keyboards, and immersive headsets.”

"The Switch 2 will be offered at normal store hours (no midnight drop)," a spokesperson for Staples added.

The retailer made the announcement after a Reddit user leaked Staples’ memo to employees about the in-store sales. That Staples notification also mentioned offering the Switch 2 in 349 stores, which has since been confirmed in the company’s official announcement. 

Other retailers, including GameStop and Best Buy, also plan to carry the console on launch day, and sales will start at midnight on June 5.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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