BUFFALO, N.Y. — Have you tried buying an Amazon gift card at a Western New York retail store and couldn't find one?
You're not the only one.
The gift cards have been pulled from retail shops in Western New York and possibly New York State as a whole. But no one seems to know the full reason why.
A viewer in West Seneca tipped off 2 On Your Side after they tried buying an Amazon gift card for a graduation present. After the viewer visited several stores that sell gift cards, they couldn't find one for Amazon.
The viewer reached out to 2 On Your Side to look into it.
After visiting several Tops, Wegmans, Dollar Tree, and Dollar General locations, we couldn't find one either.
A spokesperson for Tops eventually confirmed that Amazon gift cards have been pulled from the shelves at their stores across the state.
2 On Your Side reached out to Wegmans to confirm as well, but a spokesperson did not return our message.
Staff at Dollar Tree and Dollar General stores in Western New York told 2 On Your Side that representatives from either Amazon, or the vending company that handles their gift card business, began visiting their stores last week to pull the gift cards from the shelves.
2 On Your Side reached out to Amazon for comment. A spokesperson did not confirm or deny that the online retailer pulled gift cards from physical store shelves.
The company would only say that, from time to time, they will experiment with different ways customers can purchase gift cards. They say experiments are done to provide a better shopping experience for customers.
Amazon went on to say that customers can always purchase a gift card on its website.