Slashdot Mirror
Prelaunch Wii Kiosks Only at GameStop, Pre-Order News
saintory writes to mention a Dallas Morning News article about Gamestop's annual new product conference. Employees and new vendors were given a chance to take a look at the upcoming next-gen consoles, and a few details about the Wii retail strategy were revealed. For example, Gamestop will be the only place to demo the Wii prior to the November 19th launch. More frustratingly, "GameStop has not yet decided when, or even if, it will offer pre-orders for the new systems ... Last year, at the launch of Microsoft's Xbox 360, GameStop accepted more pre-orders before Christmas than it was able to satisfy. Microsoft's manufacturing problems turned into GameStop's angry customer problems. 'We did learn a lesson last year,' said Steve Morgan, president of GameStop. 'I think the lesson is caution and optimism at the same time.'" Update: 10/03 18:20 GMT by Z : Okay, there is *some* pre-order news. I was told last week to contact the Gamestop folks today (Tuesday) for details. At least at my local Madison store, they're going to be accepting preorders as of Monday the 16th (two weeks from yesterday). One would assume they're not some sort of 'rebel' store, so this is probably along the lines of what we can expect nation-wide.
Game is already offering Wii pre-orders, although the individual stores are only doing so once they've had their allocation confirmed. Personally, I've had my Wii pre-ordered for over a week now - as the EU release date is almost a month after the US, you'd think Gamestop would have some idea as to their allocation by now. Unless, of course, NOA is much less efficient than NOE.
They create the illusion that because your name is on some list that you will receive the product. As the XBox360 fiasco showed, that is not always the case.
These boxes should be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. This would reward those who showed up early and got in line to purchase a Wii over those who simply wandered into the GameStop one day and penciled in their names on the clipboard.
It's a little like how real Star Wars nerds will camp out for weeks and months to get the first tickets on sale. Some dimwit at Fandango shouldn't be able to buy up half the theater and then turn around and resell those tickets to the Star Wars fans who had to be turned away from the first showing because of a lack of seats.
wow big news, i think i wiid my pants with excitement
And who's fault was that?
You'd think that after the horrible PS2 launch (faulty hardware, long lines, too many pre-orders not enough units...) retailers would be a bit more cautious about pre-orders. Instead we STILL see them shoving pre-order offers in our faces. They have no one to blame but themselves.
I'd like to grab one on release, but I don't have the time to camp out on release night to get one - I'd much rather be able to preorder earlier, even if it means I won't get one immediately on release but within a few weeks after, so I don't have to repeatedly call and check to see if there are any available.
I don't get it.. Just tell everyone their number (and reserve a few at the begining with higher prices for "money is no object" types if whatever sales agreement they've made allows this). When your number or more have been delivered to the shop, go down and pick up your unit. They could even notify people with phone calls or email so no one foolishly goes down on launch day for a system that hasn't arrived yet.
If systems are selling out, there's a market failure there: they're not charging enough. They need to allow the price to rise to market-clearing levels. If the stores had pricing like the airlines for instance: first 100 at x price, next 50 at x+something price, etc. this would be less of a problem.
Incidentally, the fandango dimwit/scalper (and all scalpers really) exists because of exactly the same market failure. He's bridging the gap between what people would be willing to pay and what the theater is charging. i.e. an elastic, but high demand curve, and a flat supply curve. Scalpers are not a problem where theaters accurately asses price. Note that nobody was scalping tickets for weekdays of week 4 showings of Star Wars: Precious few people wanted to fill seats at the regular prices.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
My local game store is just writing people's names down on a list with their phone numbers. As they get stock in they're going to call you and if you already have one they'll move to the next person on the list. Hopefully I'll get one launch day from there but it's nice as it makes me free to get one elsewhere if I see it.
Reservations are bad, they create the illusion that because your name is on some list that you will receive the product. As the car rental fiasco showed, that is not always the case.
These cars should be loaned on a first-come, first-served basis. This would reward those who showed up early and got in line to rent a car those who simply wandered into the rental agency one day and penciled in their names on the clipboard.
It's a little like how real good driver will camp out for weeks and months to get the first parking spot outside the building. Some dimwit at Fandango shouldn't be able to park head first and then turn around and watch the fight on pay per view and fans who had to be turned away from the showing because of a lack of parking spots.
Eventually people will learn that their local retailer gets shipments on Tuesdays or something like that and you'll have a line outside the door every Tuesday morning to see if they got any in. That's a great marketing ploy since most retailers are pretty dead in the early hours.
Dissenter
"There is no knowledge that is not power."
Walmart was apparently offered the Wii demo units, but declined due to safety concerns with children, and lack of floorspace. Of course, that's just rumour.
I've been faithfully swinging by my local EBGames every couple days on the way home from work to see if they're taking pre-orders yet, and of course they're not yet but I was told that they should know sometime this week exactly when they will be. I was also told that instead of pre-ordering a Wii, I should just pre-order a Wii game... How does that help me get a Wii? Heck if I know.
Time to go to Toys-r-us
Limited or Non-Existant pre-orders may be GOOD... at least for the retailers. Who doesn't like long lines snaking around their stores? If the Wii is a successful product - which I think it's fairly safe to assume it will be - then it's release will likely mimic the releases of previous "next-gen" systems (I say "next-gen" using the term completely relative to a console's particular time-frame; N64 was, to a degree, "next-gen" for its time). Especially recently, major console releases have seen incredible demand, so much so that consumers are often lined up outside of the doors at opening time, waiting to get their hands on the new console or game. All of that foot traffic in stores is only going to lead to increased sales of unrelated items within the store as people (a) mull about while they wait for their chance to get their system or (b) try to find something else to entertain themselves with when they realize they won't be getting a Wii. Not to mention that the retailers avoid any chance of broken promises to their customers, which is obviously an entire issue in and of itself.
-TheBaron2
here in the states, FYE is taking pre-orders with a $50 deposit on the system, and $5 per game. i'm 3rd in line for my Wii. i have no idea why, but the PS3 already has 13 pr-orders. O_o
Don't call me back. Give me a call back. Bye. So yeah. But bye our, well, but alright we are on a shirt this chill.
The first shipments of the Wii will be going to the "hardcore" gamers and the pseudo-enteprenuers looking to rip people off on ebay. None of them are going to care about an in store kiosk. Has anyone ever been in a store like Best Buy or Target and found a Kiosk actually open to test out, every time I see them they are crowded by small children who's parents found the video game department to be a babysitter for them. Toys R Us, Best Buy and others are going to be free to setup their own consoles, most do that already.
On a side note, at least in store kiosks can be concidered a "reward" to Gamestop suckers, I mean customers, for their willingness to be overcharged and ripped off on trade ins over the years.
If you want something so badly that you need to pre-order it, you should want it bad enough that you are willing to actually go to the store when it is first available. If you can't be bothered to, and other people get it before you, then you can't want it bad enough. I don't understand the big fuss about pre-ordering something. It makes sense for many reasons that places don't allow pre-orders.
It's a fact that the Microsoft XBOX 360 and the Sony Playstation 3 will give you 1080, while Pretendo will just give you Piss as in piss on you as they always have.
Why would I care about 1080 - i or p? I don't plan to buy an HDTV until flat-panel HDTV costs less than $300 for a 30 inch set. My first degree was in Business Management (Sales and Marketing focus) - I know the price will drop to around $300 if I just wait a few years. Until then, my digital cable settop box will convert the shows for me.
By that point the PS3 will retail for $250 as well.
In the meantime, I'll be having fun with my Wii. It has fun games. I don't care about the HDTV aspect.
But, I'm amazed that only Gamestop will take preorders - I planned on preordering at EBX, like I did for most of my other consoles and handhelds.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
I pre-ordered a Wii on Amazon a couple weeks ago. They had a short window in which to order and I got lucky. Hope I get mine fast...Free shipping and no tax so I won't complain if it takes a couple days.
I'd be shocked if Gamestop didn't do pre-orders. And actually, some of their employees are under the impression that there WILL be preorders. For whatever thats worth.
My local Target has started putting up a Wii display, but oddly enough no PS3 display. (which actually comes out 2 days earlier) It doesn't look like they're going to demo it but there really wasnt a way to tell. (I have a picture of the kiosk at www.unofficiallwii.com)
I still haven't been able to preorder the Wii, no place is taking them around me. My local F.Y.E's don't sell videogames.
www.unofficiall.com
Damn it don't respond, it's hilarious watching him reply to himself because of the mods he's getting. Like a train wreck.
And by that time you will have another repackaged Pretendo Gamecube, Piss, or whatever the name of the console will be. Face it, pretendo is history, they SUCK, they are an old washed-up hasbeen!!!!!!!!! They will still have at that time use 640x480 while the rest of the world will be using 1080.
In Canada, Toys'R Us had the Wii for pre-order a few weeks (months?) ago. Their website no longer lists it as being available for pre-order, though.
That is all. WI > * Anyone cracks a Packers joke and it is on.
Damn... While I don't give a rats ass about Nintendo, you're worse than those morons who drive around with Calvin pissing on Ford/Chevy on their Chevys/Fords. Get a freakin' clue. Nobody cares about your idiotic opinion, they're not censoring you, they're just telling others "This guy's a moron, don't read his inane drivel."
If you notice, other posts that could be considered 'anti-Nintendo' have been modded UP, simply because they actually show intelligence and wit. Not like your 'click-rage' typing.
At the Gamestop at Ala Moana in Honolulu, they're only accepting trade ins as payment toward a pre-order. No cash.
I'm going to be camping out at Best Buy instead.