We Wait for Wii (Boston edition)
After confirming yesterday there would be 32 units available at two downtown Boston locations -- the GameStop at the Prudential Mall and the EB Games at the Copley Mall (which are right across the street from each other) -- it seemed like a good place to tell two different stories. And they certainly were two different experiences. There was no corporate directive on how to handle this day.
The Prudential Mall doesn't close so Brad, pictured at right, was #1 in line. He arrived last night at 8:30 p.m. and spent the night staving off the security guards who said he could stay as long as he didn't sit down or take out pillows. He had the company of Lance and Nate, two brothers who arrived shortly after Brad last night, along with Kerry, who was originally #1 and was the first person to put a chair in front of the store last night. Mall security said he couldn't do that because the "executives" in the building might walk by. The boys kept each other company through the night and were delirious by morning as Nate released some nice gas which Kerry called "thinning out the line."
Around 9:15AM, the store manager came out and told everyone after #32 in line to leave. So who was the lucky #32? That would be Thanh DeSa, who didn't even want a Wii and was buying it for a friend. He turned around and said, "I'm an idiot." And we're sure the forty people sent away by the manager who actually wanted the system for themselves would agree.
By 10:00AM the doors opened and many people tagged onto the back of the line again. Lucky for Cory -- #33 -- he stayed, because he was the last person allowed to pre-order. The rest of the line, which had swelled back to 70-something, were told to go away.
Store manager Ken, who refused to comment because he didnt have corporate permission, was happy when he reviewed the sales numbers letting out a "woo-hoo," telling his employee (while pointing at the screen), "Not bad for less than an hour at work." The underling pushed game pre-orders with the Wii pre-order hard! Corporate should give him a gold star.
The EB Games at Copley Mall was more structured in their approach. Copley closes from 2 - 5:00AM and #1 in line was Brian, who casually strolled in at 6:30AM and sat down. Did he have to wee while waiting in the Wii line?
"I have not had my Starbucks ... so that's a negative."
The manager, Dorian, handed out 32 pieces of paper to those in line and that was their ticket for the pre-order. No paper, no Wii pre-order. Although #33, who didn't receive a sheet of paper, was informed that he should wait in line.
Sadly #34 (at right), a mother who was told by her son Sean that she should have been there earlier this morning, thought the line wouldn't be so bad. Sean kept calling her every 5 - 10 minutes, a quick synopsis of her best quotes starting from when she first got in line till the doors open:
"Sean, I will get you one"
Later: "They handed out 32 slips of paper, I'm number 34, I don't know what to tell you."
A little later: "I know what you told me and I'm still waiting in line."
Less than a minute later: "I'm really tired of talking about this Sean!"
Yeah, she didn't get one -- sorry Sean.
The story from Boston is that both locations downtown had 33 units for pre-order. Everyone who was asked if they had also done a PS3 pre-order said they hadn't because the system is too expensive. When asked about having to do pre-ordering, the sentiment wasn't positive. Kerry, from the Prudential line, said it best with, "We never had to pre-order till they d*cked people over with the 360 launch."
