It's one thing about increasing the price after an offer, but $350 was on for far too long to be considered an offer. It was base price throughout november and december, because there was an even bigger discount during BF.

So for increasing the price to $399, and very soon (within days) discounting the price, which constitutes as an offer, is unethical and would be disallowed to be advertised as a price offer (at least in the UK where the laws are strict)

This seems to be the case: it's hard to believe that their intial profit margins were high enough to still be making a profit on the console at this price.

I wholeheartedly agree, but don't expect that to happen in the US.

In the 2nd disclaimer, yes, but not the first *, which takes precidence over the **.

They would likely track it but not disclose it in public info for a company to know which of their bundles moved best. To see how effective that bundle was.

I will have to go back and look but I am sure that after the September NPD we got further info from leakers about total Destiny sales when the bundle was included, which brought it above the XBox One version, which showed higher on the public report. If they track what each SKU sold then of course by default that includes the software sales along with it.

Go America.  We win!!!

So your post does have something to do with the argument then?

I am sensing a slim release in the summer and a 299$ price come holiday 2015 :).

That's because in the UK you can't get a lousy price match.  Once again, in the US if I purchase something, and within 14 days it goes on sale, the vast majority of retailers, and all major retailers, will offer to price match the sale item.  The exception to this rule is often with severe discounting, such as going out of business sales, clearence sales, or Black Friday discounts. 

Heck, often in these cases, the work around is to return the item, then rebuy it with a discount or buy it with the discount then return it using the receipt for the full-price purchase. 

Bottom line is the US consumer isn't getting screwed.  They just have to talk to the retailer.  If they were getting screwed, then sure, it would be unethical, but they aren't. 

Can you even return an unopened, unused product for a full cash refund in the UK?

You people bitch that everything is so goddamn expensive there and how cheap everything here is in the US and you don't even realize half your problem is the oversight and regulation you have in place.  You moan about how American's sue all the time, yet you put government agencies in place for oversight that drives up your costs both in taxes and consumer goods. 

You don't understand how consumerism works in the US.  I get that.  But don't complain about consumerism in the US if you don't understand how it works. 

I'm a US consumer, I've worked retail sales for decades, besides other roles, I know US consumerism.  No one in the US is going, "This is unethical!" excpet maybe a Sony fanboy or two.  It's a slight inconvenience for US consumers to have to resolve if they want their $50 difference back, but it's no different than buying something from Best Buy or WalMart at full price and a week later walking back in and getting it for the discounted sale price. 

And if there is someone, somewhere in the US that is rightfully upset about Microsoft selling it at $350, then increasing the price to $400 when they bought it, then dropping it back down to $350, the vast majority of us in the US would say "Oh well!".  It isn't as if we don't have options to recoup that $50.

There's at least one in Barrie.  Not sure if its still open.