We are on the eve of launch day madness. Microsoft's Xbox fans are no doubt having a bit of de'ja'vu from last year's Xbox 360 launch mess.
If you have an Xbox 360 now and want a Wii or Playstation 3, you're no doubt dreading going through the insanity again so soon. The Playstation 3 will launch with 100,000 units less than the Xbox 360 did, however, the Wii will launch with millions more, so your chances of getting a Wii are much higher.
So what are the two biggest electronics stores, Best Buy and Circuit City, planning for launch day events? After reading information on the Internet (which were fairly accurate for the Xbox 360 Launch), this is what I've found.
Circuit City, it seems, has decided to take their limited console numbers and pick six key markets to sell into. Only one store in each of those six markets will be selling systems, but they'll be selling 100 systems each. They have linked up with local radio stations to perform give-a-ways - five of the six stores will be giving away five Playstation 3 consoles. The New York store will be giving away a whopping 100 Playstation 3's!
The Circuit City "Playstation 3" event will start on Nov 16th at 8pm. At 10pm, vouchers will be handed out to the first 100 people in line. At Midnight, ticket holders will be let in (most likely in small groups) to claim what they've no doubt been waiting in line to purchase.
Here's a breakdown of the Circuit City stores that will have Playstation 3 consoles:
Best Buy sent a 25-page document to all of its stores describing the process and procedure for launch day. Among things of interest are, the usual 'Ticket' system. Tickets are to be handed out 60 minutes before opening. This document says they're to ask what SKU the customer wants rather than just handing out 60gig tickets and ending with the 20gig tickets similar to the Xbox 360 launch last year. It seems obvious no one's going to pass up the 60gig model for the 20gig one, but choices are always nice to have. To purchase your new console you must walk through the Best Buy maze, where they get you to buy games, accessories and add-ons before handing you the box and shuffling you off to the cashier. Employees have been encouraged to communicate "early and often" so customers in line have a clear understanding on what's going on.
Employees are encouraged to promote the Xbox 360 alternative for those left "ticketless." In fact, they're going to run a promotion where customers can buy an Xbox 360 Premium with two USD $49 or USD $59 titles and get a third title free.
Oddly enough, another instruction on the document instructs stores to keep their lights on and contact police about the launch and the hordes of people that will be outside all night. The stores are encouraged to get portable toilets if the property management will allow it.
The document goes on to say there will be no forced bundling of Playstation 3 or Wii systems. There are purchase number limits as well, only one system per customer, software and accessories is also limited to quantities of three for Playstation 3 and Wii. "Family" purchases will be restricted as well - at the Xbox 360 launch I saw one guy with his kids there and he and his kids walked away with three systems! Of course, at least two of those three systems, more than likely, went on eBay that night.
This year, for the Playstation 3 and Wii, you can only pay for one system purchase per credit card. So, a family of three would need to produce three unique credit cards to walk away with three systems. Best Buy will not be holding any units for defective exchanges, you will be expected to contact Sony or Nintendo if your system is defective.
source: Kotaku.com
So what are the two biggest electronics stores, Best Buy and Circuit City, planning for launch day events? After reading information on the Internet (which were fairly accurate for the Xbox 360 Launch), this is what I've found.
Circuit City, it seems, has decided to take their limited console numbers and pick six key markets to sell into. Only one store in each of those six markets will be selling systems, but they'll be selling 100 systems each. They have linked up with local radio stations to perform give-a-ways - five of the six stores will be giving away five Playstation 3 consoles. The New York store will be giving away a whopping 100 Playstation 3's!
The Circuit City "Playstation 3" event will start on Nov 16th at 8pm. At 10pm, vouchers will be handed out to the first 100 people in line. At Midnight, ticket holders will be let in (most likely in small groups) to claim what they've no doubt been waiting in line to purchase.
Here's a breakdown of the Circuit City stores that will have Playstation 3 consoles:
- New York : UnionSquare, NY
- Los Angelas : Torrance, CA
- Philadelphia : Cherry Hill, NJ
- Chicago : Schaumburg, IL
- Washington : Rockville, MD
- Richmond : Short Pump, VA
Best Buy sent a 25-page document to all of its stores describing the process and procedure for launch day. Among things of interest are, the usual 'Ticket' system. Tickets are to be handed out 60 minutes before opening. This document says they're to ask what SKU the customer wants rather than just handing out 60gig tickets and ending with the 20gig tickets similar to the Xbox 360 launch last year. It seems obvious no one's going to pass up the 60gig model for the 20gig one, but choices are always nice to have. To purchase your new console you must walk through the Best Buy maze, where they get you to buy games, accessories and add-ons before handing you the box and shuffling you off to the cashier. Employees have been encouraged to communicate "early and often" so customers in line have a clear understanding on what's going on.
Employees are encouraged to promote the Xbox 360 alternative for those left "ticketless." In fact, they're going to run a promotion where customers can buy an Xbox 360 Premium with two USD $49 or USD $59 titles and get a third title free.
Oddly enough, another instruction on the document instructs stores to keep their lights on and contact police about the launch and the hordes of people that will be outside all night. The stores are encouraged to get portable toilets if the property management will allow it.
The document goes on to say there will be no forced bundling of Playstation 3 or Wii systems. There are purchase number limits as well, only one system per customer, software and accessories is also limited to quantities of three for Playstation 3 and Wii. "Family" purchases will be restricted as well - at the Xbox 360 launch I saw one guy with his kids there and he and his kids walked away with three systems! Of course, at least two of those three systems, more than likely, went on eBay that night.
This year, for the Playstation 3 and Wii, you can only pay for one system purchase per credit card. So, a family of three would need to produce three unique credit cards to walk away with three systems. Best Buy will not be holding any units for defective exchanges, you will be expected to contact Sony or Nintendo if your system is defective.
source: Kotaku.com
