It's tough out there if you're looking for a Nintendo Wii. I used the online tracker sites. I signed up for every email/mobile tracking service. I made sure to drive by local Gamestops between 11am and 1pm hoping to see the UPS delivery truck parked outside. In the end, I lucked out. I wanted to share my experience in hopes that it might help out others.
I spent part of the day at a local Gamestop that was getting a shipment of Wiis in that day. Turns out that Wiis come 3 to a box. I was #4 in line and surprise surprise, the Gamestop received 1 box of Wiis.
I took a chance and called a Costco. I called one that was in the urban center of town and farthest away from the suburbs. The lady who answered was great. She stated that they would open Saturday morning with 48 Wiis. She continued on saying that the Wiis were at their shipping hub and that they would be at the store Friday evening/morning.
I asked questions about vouchers, a line, etc and she answered them all. Basically, no line, no vouchers, and no they weren't going to open early. She ended by telling me that other customers were calling and talking about getting in line @ 4am. How nice.
My alarm rang @ 4:15am Saturday morning. I couldn't get up and going till 4:55am. My buddy Eric called up at 5:35 asking if I needed support. Heck yes I did. So he mumbled something about how early it was and hung up. Eric called me back to make sure that I was bringing the PSP. Of course I was bringing the PSP ... 4 hours to kill.
I showed up at Costco around 5:40am and there was no one there. I pulled out the newspaper and started catching up what was happening in the world. Eric showed up a few minutes later, laughed at me for getting there so early, and took off for McDonalds.
I was alone in the parking lot until around 7:30am. A couple ladies drove up and sat in their cars. They both saw me and came up and asked how long I had been there. One lady had been at a Christmas party all night and had not slept. We all agreed to stay in our cars for as long as possible (it was cold, windy, and rainy) and until someone drove up and got in line.
30 minutes later a guy in glasses drove up in a lexus, parked, got out and walked to the Costco entrance with a canvas fold up chair. Well that was that, the two ladies, Eric, and myself got out of our cars and took our places in line.
Turns out that everyone was really fun and in good spirits. I learned that the Costcos near the surburbs sold-out their Wiis with lots of people left waiting in line.
Costco management was really nice as well. They kept coming out to update everyone on the status.
-48 Wiis
-No Vouchers/Numbers
-The Wiis would be next to the cashier/checkout area
-1 per person, but you could take your Wii out to your car and get back in line.
-They would open a few minutes early (9:15 instead of 9:30)
By the time 9:15 rolled around, there were right around 30 people in line. Everyone kept themselves in check because it was a fact that they were all going to get a Wii.
My friend Jamie showed up just as the doors opened and picked up a Wii. Eric was pretty bitter about that, who knew that the turnout would be so low. :)
FYI - Costco was selling a bundle - $344.99. Extra Wiimote and Nunchuk plus Big Brain Academy.
I bought my Wii, took it to my Element and came back in to do some shopping. After picking up some things, there were still Wiis on the pallet so I splurged and now my Sister's family (her plus my five dear nieces and nephews) will open up a Wii on Christmas morning.
Now I can focus on games and components. Anyway, try your local Costco!
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