mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster
Rank Points: 5064
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged
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How I went "Wii, Wii, Wii" all the way home (+4)
I wanted a Wii. After missing out on launch night at Wal-mart, I heard how more Wii units would come up for sale in stores on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving in the US, when the Christmas shopping season "officially" begins). My brother found out the EB Games at the local shopping mall would be getting eight whole systems. We decided to line up after family Thanksgiving festivities wound down to each get a Wii first thing in the morning. The store was to open at six this special sales day. That meant, of course, that everyone would plan to come at 3-4 in the morning to get a priority spot in line for the Wii. And since everyone was thinking they should do that, it surely meant that we must go the night before if there was to be any chance of us even thinking about getting one before they were all sold out.
The mall was closed Thursday, but we went in at 10pm, entering through the doors open to provide access to the movie theater inside. We skipped the theater and strolled over to the EB Games store and hunkered down outside it. No one was there (duh, the mall was closed). Thursday, the weather suddenly had gotten cold, so we were very glad to be inside instead of having to wait outside all night. After waiting for a while, we decided to check whether anyone was waiting outside anyway. There were eight people that had just sat down out there with chairs, warm clothes and blankets. Nice, quiet kids. A bunch of gamers, for sure. Every one of them had a Nintendo DS or something that they were playing together. They collectively wanted six Wii units. They looked cold. We let them into the store and they lined up behind us. These guys, in contrast to many launch-week buyers, really wanted a system for themselves rather than being there to try to make a quick buck. A noble cause, if I ever heard of one. But the good news for me was it seemed I was at the front of the official line. And it was already full.
And then the security guard came by and kicked us out. My brother and I, stupidly, weren't equipped to handle standing six hours outside in the night cold. We stood for an hour or two, not daring to sit down on the frozen walk to rest our tired feet. The guys behind us were better prepared, and they were cool with me leaving for a bit to swing by my house to pick up two folding chairs, more warm clothes and a heap of blankets. That was very helpful. My brother had some games to play on his DS Lite too, but fingers froze quickly and it was too cold to play. Most of the time everyone stayed quiet and just kept their hands balled under their blankets.
After one o' clock in the morning, more people started driving by and asking what we were there for. Some lined up after us, and others sped off in disgust after realizing they wouldn't get what they wanted. Some guy in a truck peeled donuts in the parking lot as he left.
It got colder. At two, the graveyard security guy stepped out and talked to us for a bit. Bathroom opportunity for those who wanted it. Woooooo! Several people ran inside. He said maybe he could let us back in after another hour or so. I had some books to read with me but was too cold, nervous and excited to focus my attention on anything for longer than 5 seconds at a time. I sat and stared at the tranquil streetlamps around the empty parking lot and fell into a trance-like hibernation state.
By three there were twenty people in line. No security guard showed up to let us in. Muted conversations got weird and started turning to subjects like relativity and quantum physics. Some guy drove up in his pickup truck with a huge sign on the side saying "HOT COCOA MUFFINS SNACKS". He said, "You guys want some?" Sure. "How much will you pay for it?" Ah, a scalper. "Less than you want us to, no doubt," I replied. Got some chuckles. He said, "Well, all the people outside Toys-R-Us bought stuff. They were glad to have it." How hot is the hot chocolate? "It's warm." Aah...warm chocolate. Yum. How much will you give us? "12 ounce cup." Well, we're not desperate. "I gave the people at the last store a special deal -- if they all bought one, I'd give one to them for a dollar each." Ah, peer pressure tactics. Someone else piped up and said, "50 cents". The guy drove off.
Three-thirty. Wind started picking up. Had a bite to it. Thirty in line. Why are the rest of you lining up? There are only eight units. Shrugs. Some kids at the back of the line started screaming and running all over the parking lot. One of them procured a shopping cart and they started pushing each other around in it. One of them would ride in it at breakneck speed and smack straight into a curb, soaring out and practicing his rolls as he hit the ground. He rolled pretty far too. We were sure one of these times he was gonna die. Too bad no one had a video camera or there would be something on YouTube about it right now. Bunches of minivans started driving up. Frenzied moms and grandmas, no doubt. They perched silently in their vehicles, waiting.
Four o' clock. Forty people. Security guard opened the mall doors and we were allowed into the lobby. Relief! We migrated our piles of stuff through the first set of doors. But no further. Other people could go in and start lining up for a mall prize raffle being held from 5 o' clock on. Suspicious characters started mosying into the mall on the pretense of going to the raffle line, then veering over to hang out in front of the EB Games. You can imagine the muttering that caused in our line. Security guard came back to check on us, someone pointed the situation out to him, and he started periodically sending that crowd to the back of our line.
At five, Sears opened and the mall became a lively place. Lots of people everywhere. We grew increasingly nervous that we are somehow waiting in our line in vain, but we were still not permitted inside. Security guard kept making the rounds and shooing newcomers away from the store for us. Nice guy. He didn't have to help us out if he didn't want to, I guess.
Five forty. EB Games manager strolled by us and went to set up shop. FINALLY allowed to march onward to line up single-file outside the gates of EB Games. We were standing close by the queue for the raffle. A couple hundred people there. Some asked what we were doing in our line, some asked how long we had been waiting, and some heckled us. Mall personnel took pictures of us for some reason. Store manager started bringing out Wiis, games and accessories from the back room. Cat calls.
Ten minutes till. All kinds of people started showing up next to the EB Games. Some girls tried to make a new head of the line. Some acted clueless and just pretended they were waiting for friends in the raffle line and had no interest in the Wii whatsoever. However, for some unknown reason, they wouldn't budge from standing next to the front of our line. They asked us about Ebay sales a lot. Nervous tension.
Six o' clock. Store should have opened, but didn't. We waited, steadfast and meek in our places. Didn't want to annoy the store manager. In spite of this, people from the raffle line just for fun started shouting at the employees and manager in the EB Games store, "Let us in!" "It's 6 o' clock!" "Aaaauuhgghghhh!" It sounded like a mob in the making.
Store flunky comes over to raise the gate. Finally! My brother asks him, "Quick question -- we've got this line here since last night. Can you preserve order and let us maintain the line as we go in the store?" For some reason flunky said, "No, man. We just service people as they show up..." The gate started rising. Moment of shock. Picture me in one of those anime-depicted moments of shock with accompanying background coloring and sound effect.
The mob turned into a zoo. People from everywhere swarmed under the gate as it rose. The scalper girls tried to stampede into the store ahead of us. Our line battled its way up to the desk, but the newcomers pushed their way up there too and started shouting, "Hey, I'm first! I've been here since ten last night!" I pushed too, determined to hold my place. The crowd broke against the sales desk like a wave. Bodies writhed. Too loud to think. Pushy girls flailed and shoved. I shoved back to keep my spot and we smashed hard against the neat stacks of magazines, strategy guides, and store adverts arrayed across the counter. Piles fell and splashed all over the floor. Uh, oh...store manager looking seriously annoyed.
Luckily, he was a cool cucumber and just asked my brother "Whaddya want?" amidst the ruckus. He got his system, extra controller and game. Crazy girl was shrieking at me. Tall stacks of game cases fell all over the floor. I placed my order and somehow managed to get everything and swipe my card while buffetted by the writhing mass. With bag in hand, I looked behind me for the rest of the line and found numbers 3-8 somewhere lost in the crowd. I tried to assist and told the store manager of the situation before he rang up hyper claim-jumper girl. He said he was just there to sell the units but didn't complain when I suggested to get security in there to clean up the mess. Got chief security guy in there somehow and store manager relented to let the first people in line be identified. It was hard to pick them out in the middle of the mass but they were finally allowed to come forward. A crew of punky teenagers came up to me and one held out $400 in his hand. "This for your Wii" he said. Red flag. Sure, some people just want a Wii, but I've been in situations before involving Russian Mafia where deals on the side in an uncontrolled situation turned ugly. Too risky. "No way, man. You can buy it for less than that on Ebay, so why pay me $400?" They disappeared into the shadows. Line jumpers left, screaming threats and swearing a blue streak at us.
One-by-one our group was served. The eight people there from ten o' clock received their Wiis. Justice was done. We all agreed we'd never shop on Black Friday again. And we weren't taking chances. We had security escort us out of that morass to our vehicles. Got three hours of sleep at home this morning, and the rest of this vacation day has been sweet, sweet fun.
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Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.
[Last edited by mrimer at 02-26-2011 06:22 AM]
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/dy
Oh, and congratulations for getting your Wii!
