Best Buy 're-launch' scam and bait-and-switch tactics

[Doug Jacobs]

In alt.games.video.xbox The alMIGHTY N <natlee75@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Do you really think that it takes no time at all to put together a
> system?

No, but apparentally Microsoft does.

I think it's pretty clear that Microsoft KNOWS there are problems with
this first batch of 360s. That's why they cut their initial shipments by
so much and are saying the next big shipments won't be until
mid-February. In the meantime, Microsoft is trying to get as many sales
now as possible, since it would be really stupid of them to totally miss
the only Christmas where they'd be the only next-gen console out.

 

[Doug Jacobs]

In alt.games.video.xbox The alMIGHTY N <natlee75@yahoo.com> wrote:
> **** Microsoft should have taken at least 50% of the Japanese launch
> units and allocated them to North America, knowing full well that they
> weren't going to sell out in Japan.

> Microsoft was *hoping* the system would have a good launch. They really
> want to win over the Japanese fans, and it doesn't look good if there
> are hardly any units at launch.

DOA4 was one of the most anticipated 360 games in Japan. When it was
delayed, a lot of pre-orders were cancelled. I'm guessing that by the time
Microsoft realized this, they already had the systems in Japan.

To reallocate these units, they'd have to go back to manufacturing to be
adjusted for the North American or European market, unless you'd like to
have a console with Japanese documentation, software, and only able to
play 360 games imported from Japan... Then the units would have be
shipped back out to distributors and stores over here or in Europe. The
added cost to do this probably made Microsoft decide to leave the units in
Japan - even though they'll probably sit around for a month or so until
DOA4 or some other anticipated title comes out.

> If someone is willing to sign up for a membership, why shouldn't they
> be allowed to get their system? It's not like it was too early for
> existing members to come out... hell, they had a huge advantage in not
> having to wake up at 7:00 AM to shop... Costco doesn't open in most
> areas until 10:00 or 11:00 AM!

The Costcos in my area open at 8 or 9am for their executive or business
members. If you have no membership, or if you have a Regular membership
but wish to upgrade to Premium, you *must* wait for the regular hours which
are at 10am. If you have no membership, you are required to get one first
before they will even allow you to shop. This is also partially to make sure
you actually have a way to pay for the stuff you want to buy. (they don't
take credit cards.)

If they were allowing non-membership people in to shop for a 360 ahead of
people who already had membership cards, why shouldn't the members be a
bit annoyed? It's not like the others couldn't have come by the store a
day earlier and gotten their membership. As you said, it was a clever way
to get new members...at the expense of annoying some current customers.
Not the scummiest thing in the world, but I thought Costco was better than
that.

 

[Doug Jacobs]

In alt.games.video.xbox The alMIGHTY N <natlee75@yahoo.com> wrote:
> My Best Buy experience in brief:

> Drove by the local Best Buy with the intent of getting on line at 3:30
> or 4:00 PM... still had to get some "supplies" for the night. My wife
> saw people lined up already so we decided to just get on line at 2:30.
> I was 14, my wife was 15, there were several signs posted on all the
> doors saying they had 47 systems (2 being cores) and would hand out
> tickets at 7:00 AM for purchase at 8:00 AM.

Ok, WTF?

What sort of store makes its customers stand outside, overnight, 12+
hours, IN WINTER, so they can get a ticket to buy something the next day!?

If the manager was making a list, that should have been sufficient. Put
your name on the list, require people to show ID when they come back the
next day to buy their unit, and announce any units unclaimed by, say,
noon, would be given out to the extras on the list, in order.

At least that way, most people wouldn't have to stand in line OVERNIGHT
(again, WTF?) and the extras could gather tommorow in case any units
didn't sell. Coming early wouldn't give you an advantage because your
place was secured by putting your name on the list the day before.

 

[JLC]

"Doug Jacobs" <djacobs@shell.rawbw.com> wrote in message
news:11qhhaispuu608b@corp.supernews.com...

> The Costcos in my area open at 8 or 9am for their executive or business
> members. If you have no membership, or if you have a Regular membership
> but wish to upgrade to Premium, you *must* wait for the regular hours
> which
> are at 10am. If you have no membership, you are required to get one first
> before they will even allow you to shop. This is also partially to make
> sure
> you actually have a way to pay for the stuff you want to buy. (they don't
> take credit cards.)
>
FYI Costco has their own American Express cards that members can sigh up
for. JLC

 

[Jordan]

"What sort of store makes its customers stand outside, overnight, 12+
hours, IN WINTER, so they can get a ticket to buy something the next
day!? "

Technically, wasn't Winter. Winter starts today. :^)

Huge lines are also SPECTACULAR advertising. "Hey, man, you see the
line at Best Buy?"

- Jordan

 

[Android66]

Spring in Japan, maybe, but I wouldn't hold your breath for a Spring
release in the U.S. I know what the press releases reportedly said,
but I was there last year at E3. If you read the fine print, it is
vague--mentioning a Spring debut...most likely meaning that it will be
shown at E3 in May 2006. I'm guessing another October or November
release date.

Considering that game magazines are currently being sent review copies
of games that won't be officially released until March, I think we
would have seen some PS3 preview code (at least) or launch title review
code coming our way by now if Sony planned to release the console in
the U.S. in the Spring. But they've been quiet. I suppose they could
be planning a "stealth" launch like Sega did with Saturn, but we know
how well that turned out (not!).

 

[Doug Jacobs]

In alt.games.video.xbox Jordan <lundj@earthlink.net> wrote:
> "What sort of store makes its customers stand outside, overnight, 12+
> hours, IN WINTER, so they can get a ticket to buy something the next
> day!? "

> Technically, wasn't Winter. Winter starts today. :^)

Point taken Oddly, it's gotten warmer since winter "started". Not
looking forward to the snow and cold of Michigan

> Huge lines are also SPECTACULAR advertising. "Hey, man, you see the
> line at Best Buy?"

Yeah, it's a spectacle alright. I remember a coworker of mine stood
outside the Metreon to buy a PS2. Got there at 8am and didn't leave until
1am-ish the next morning. We all pitched to send him food, an umbrella,
etc. I was really surprised he bothered since he's not that hardcore of a
gamer. In fact, he complained about the various journalists who kept
coming to him for comments - probably because he definitely did NOT fit
the profile of the obsessed geek.

I dunno. It just seems awfully manipulative of the stores to make their
customers go through all that. What's next? Making customers stand in
line for hours on end, then perform some sort of Fear Factor-esque task?
It's like those 'What would you do for a Klondike Bar' commercials, just
more exploitative. "Would you stand in line? For 18 hours? With no food
or water? And swallow a live goldfish? OK, then we'll THINK about
letting you buy one a game console today."

 

[Jordan]

> Oddly, it's gotten warmer since winter "started". Not
> looking forward to the snow and cold of Michigan

Weird, it's the same thing here (Oregon). I thought it was just us.
Easily 20 degrees warmer since it turned to Winter. Weird. Must be that
global warming or something. :^)

We had our first ice/snow storm last Sunday/Monday. Fouled everything
up. Then Winter hits and it's like "Hey, I don't need a coat AND a
sweater anymore..."

- Jordan

 

[Robert P Holley]

Android66 wrote:
> The situation could have been avoided by both MS and Best Buy.
> Microsoft should have taken at least 50% of the Japanese launch units
> and allocated them to North America, knowing full well that they
> weren't going to sell out in Japan.

I disagree.

IIRC, Japan only launched with 100,000 units and sold 2/3rd of them.
If they moved 50% (or 50K) to the US for the launch it wouldn't have
made much of a dent. Instead of launching with 325,000 on Nov 22nd
they launch with 375,000? Big whoop.

 

[Ted]

Doug Jacobs wrote:
>
> In alt.games.video.xbox Jordan <lundj@earthlink.net> wrote:
> > "What sort of store makes its customers stand outside, overnight, 12+
> > hours, IN WINTER, so they can get a ticket to buy something the next
> > day!? "
>
> > Technically, wasn't Winter. Winter starts today. :^)
>
> Point taken Oddly, it's gotten warmer since winter "started". Not
> looking forward to the snow and cold of Michigan
snip

The streets are clear. It's actually above freezing, meaning rain today
and tomorrow; beware the coming ice...
You could keep chemically warm via the Thai resteraunt in the Village,
but it isn't quite open yet.

 

[The Perkinator]

Blig Merk wrote:

> It turns out that xflop three-shitty

No one is ever going to take some punk kid obsessed with calling a
video game system a name seriously.

Now grow up.

Stupid kid.

 

[Hank the Rapper]

Jordan wrote:
>> Oddly, it's gotten warmer since winter "started". Not
>> looking forward to the snow and cold of Michigan
>
> Weird, it's the same thing here (Oregon). I thought it was just us.
> Easily 20 degrees warmer since it turned to Winter. Weird. Must be
> that global warming or something. :^)

It's been the opposite in Utah. It's been about 10-15 degrees colder for the
last three weeks. The cold spell finally snapped two days ago. Now it's in
the high 40s. My friend in Ohio told me it's been very cold and snowy out
there.

 

[The alMIGHTY N]

Actually, the PS3 is launching in late spring/early summer *in Japan*
and is not set to release in the United States until the typical
November end date. Japanese companies consistently release their
consoles six or more months later in the United States than in Japan.

 

[The alMIGHTY N]

**** If they were allowing non-membership people in to shop for a 360
ahead of
people who already had membership cards, why shouldn't the members be a

bit annoyed?

The point is they weren't. They had to at least sign up for a
membership that day. If the person is willing to pay for a membership,
they're entitled to purchase a system. Is Costco supposed to tell
people that they're not allowed to sign up for new memberships that
day? Current customers have no right to be annoyed... new members pay
the same, if not higher (I don't remember if the rates have changed in
the past year), membership dues as current customers.

 

[Dontasciime]

fishy says otherwise, well respected, he reckons from what he has seen that
the games are not quite there and neither is the hardware, expecting
September to be a more realistic Jap release
"The alMIGHTY N" <natlee75@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1136322003.213705.74360@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Actually, the PS3 is launching in late spring/early summer *in Japan*
> and is not set to release in the United States until the typical
> November end date. Japanese companies consistently release their
> consoles six or more months later in the United States than in Japan.
>

 

[Doug Jacobs]

In alt.games.video.sony-playstation2 The alMIGHTY N <natlee75@yahoo.com> wrote:

> The point is they weren't. They had to at least sign up for a
> membership that day. If the person is willing to pay for a membership,
> they're entitled to purchase a system. Is Costco supposed to tell
> people that they're not allowed to sign up for new memberships that
> day? Current customers have no right to be annoyed... new members pay
> the same, if not higher (I don't remember if the rates have changed in
> the past year), membership dues as current customers.

The normal situation, at least at my Costco, is that if you don't have an
membership card (you must show yours at the door) then you must first go to
the service desk to get one, THEN go shopping. Furthermore, you can only
sign up for memberships during the "normal" hours. Executive and business
members (who pay more) are allowed into the store 1-2 hours earlier - and
you cannot apply for new memberships at this time (the counter just isn't
staffed.)

If, as reported here, Costco was allowing people without memberships into
the store to pick up a 360 before signing up for a membership during the
earlier hours - then it is quite possible that someone without an membership
was allowed into the store to grab a 360 ahead of someone who already had a
membership. From Costco's point of view, it doesn't matter who buys the 360
- in fact, they actually gain a new membership here. But, if it was you who
lost out on a 360 because Costco altered their procedures, wouldn't you be a
bit annoyed? I know I would have been - ESPECIALLY if I had an executive
or business membership. After all, what's the point of paying extra for
earlier access if Costco is willing to change their rules just to make a sale?

 

[Doug Jacobs]

In alt.games.video.sony-playstation2 Robert P Holley <holleyrp@delanet.com> wrote:

> IIRC, Japan only launched with 100,000 units and sold 2/3rd of them.
> If they moved 50% (or 50K) to the US for the launch it wouldn't have
> made much of a dent. Instead of launching with 325,000 on Nov 22nd
> they launch with 375,000? Big whoop.

It'd be another ~1000 units for each state

Seriously though, every little bit would have helped.

 

[Jonah Falcon]

"The alMIGHTY N" <natlee75@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1136322003.213705.74360@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Actually, the PS3 is launching in late spring/early summer *in Japan*
> and is not set to release in the United States until the typical
> November end date. Japanese companies consistently release their
> consoles six or more months later in the United States than in Japan.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I don't want to wait til November for Halo 3!