posted
My littlest brother wants Guitar Hero III for the Wii for Christmas.
My other little brother wanted Rock Band for his X-Box. By calling the local EB Games store everyday for a week, my mom managed to get a guy on the phone while he was opening the latest shipment. She gave him a credit card number and rushed over.
So, one down and one to go.
She has now enlisted me in the hunt because after a month of failure, she needs some extra help. And I don't mind since I'll be benefiting too (I love Guitar Hero.)
So what are the best strategies for success? Do certain store chains have days when shipments usually arrive? What unlikely stores may have a few just because everyone else is too busy hunting one down at Best Buy or Walmart? Who should I attempt to bribe?
posted
Keep calling places, find out when shipments are coming in and be the first to snag them. I'd say try ebay or some such, but you're unlikely to get it for the price you want. It'll probably come down to luck, or you just won't get it at all. The Wii is still a hot item a year after it was released, and GHIII/Rock Band seem to be the must have games of the season.
Also, that's some sweet parenting in that article Val. Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
A friend of hours managed to score Rock Band by calling around all the Wal-Marts within a 30-mile radius. Oddly enough, the third-closest Wal-Mart had it. There's also K-Mart to consider (we tend to forget it exists). There's also the method of having friends who live in other parts of the US keeping an eye out for you, if you don't mind paying a shipping cost (and they don't mind buying it when they see it).
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
Unhelpful answer to the titles question: I don't even bother trying. I get something else or wait six months.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: Unhelpful answer to the titles question: I don't even bother trying. I get something else or wait six months.
posted
I really don't see why the wii is such a big deal. I have one, and it is alright...but I much prefer my xbox 360.
maybe that will change when I get mario galaxy...I still haven't bought it because halo 3 and assassin's creed have been taking up my gaming time.
Posts: 1901 | Registered: May 2004
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quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: Unhelpful answer to the titles question: I don't even bother trying. I get something else or wait six months.
Exactly.
Yup. I've never understood the compulsion some people have to buy THE toy for Christmas. I believe the Cabbage Patch Kid in 1984 was the first "sold out/parents lining up at 6 am waiting for the stores to open/riots breaking out in Toys R Us" phenomenon. I know Tickle-Me-Elmo was another one in '97 or so.
I can't imagine really caring about a consumer product that much. Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
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posted
Thanks for the advice and non-advice. Thankfully, my brother, who is understanding and tolerate to the point of saintly-hood, will likely just shrug when my mother and I inevitably fail. Since his birthday is in February, he's well used to getting IOU's from Santa like what happened last year with his Wii.
But for once I'd like to help him out. To let him actually open unwrap something he really wants on Christmas. And since I finished 95% of my Christmas shopping December 3rd, I'm having a bit of fun doing everyone else's shopping for them.
I personally don't understand fadish must-have Christmas gifts (Tickle-Me-Elmo?!?). But when something is a guarantee sell-out (a popular gaming franchise on the most popular gaming system right before Christmas), I don't understand why the makers don't prepare and have a larger stock available.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
You don't? It seems pretty obvious [edit: to me] that the shortage is intentional.
The publicity from being the must-have item of the season is pretty huge, too.
False scarcity seems to be becoming a pretty common marketing tactic, especially for video game systems and accessories.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
I don't agree that the scarcity is intentional for video game systems. Increasing production for consumer electronics is not something that can just happen overnight. I read months ago that Nintendo has been working on getting another production line going for the Wii but it wouldn't be actually getting more Wiis out the door until Q2 2008. They're currently making around a million of them a month, and selling out pretty consistantly. The only way they could have had more available for the holidays would have been to hold some back in reserve in September and October, but what's the point in that.
With GH3 available on 4 systems and RockBand giving the franchise direct competition for the first time, I don't think Activision could safely consider it "a guarenteed sellout" on the Wii until it actually started selling out. I got my copy shortly after it was released and there was no problem finding a copy. I don't think it actually was selling out anywhere until people started doing the holiday shopping.
posted
Crap! My two and a half years of crafting a persona to front for Nintendo have been spoiled! Curse you, El JT de Spang, cuurrrrrse yoooouuuuuuuu!!!
Now who will I get to pay me for posting in forums? Hmmm...
posted
After a morning of failed bidding on eBay, calling all the electronics stores within a hundred miles (missing one copy of the game by 5 minutes), and recruiting my other brother in the hunt...we finally got our hands on it. He happened to check a website that had been sold-out that morning but got a new shipment in.
So we got it for the official sale price and an extra $9 shipping fee which gets it here by Friday. w00t!
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Hey, yeah, congrats. That really is cool. I was in a local Best Buy the other day, and they just had a HUGE stack of both Rock Band and Guitar Hero III. I'm not really interested in any of them, I'm too pumped to finally be getting The Orange Box, and with it, Portal (eeekk!). But I've always had some pretty good luck with finding video games in stores. Movies too, for that matter.
Posts: 349 | Registered: Oct 2007
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