Overview
- Shopper photos and reports this week show Costco demo desktops with memory removed, with some stores also taking out graphics cards.
- Commenters and employees say removed components are kept in back stock and installed when a system is purchased.
- Similar precautions are reported at some Walmarts, with components kept behind counters or left out of display units.
- Coverage ties the security steps to sharp price increases during a supply crunch, including a 32GB DDR5 kit jumping from about $117 in October to roughly $439.
- A Reddit user claimed a RAM theft was recorded on camera and described the suspect as an Instacart shopper, a detail not independently verified.