360 sold-out in Chicago: camping works (kinda)

by Dan Choi { Nov 22nd 2005 at 7:00PM }

Plans were hatched, and schedules made, but unless you were a dedicated (and well-informed) camper, there was little chance of picking up a 360 by simply strolling into a store when it opened this morning.

Some Xbox loyalists were successful in attaining their consoles, however, leading to this recounting of a Wal-Mart in-line experience at Gaming Horizon. Other stories of not-so-lucky prospective buyers left a bitter impression in this blogger's mind.

Judging by the sold-out status of the 360 at 8 north-Chicago Best Buys, 5 Targets, 2 TRUs, 2 CompUSAs, 3 Sears stores, 2 CCs, and 1 Wal-Mart (whose phone lines were either perpetually busy or completely turned off), one can assume that the campers had the best shot at a console on launch day, though hours of waiting in line guaranteed little. Fellow (unsuccessful) launch-line seekers, you have our sympathies.

[Thanks, Tim]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

2K @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

I waited hours in line for nothing. Only those that literally camped out, got one today. Too bad I didn't know about this sooner, otherwise I would have never wasted my time this morning.

The original Xbox launch was nothing like this.

omenz @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Stores are sold out but there's zillions on eBay. This one is $0.01 with no reserve:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8236443456

omenz @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Stores are sold out but there's zillions on eBay. This one is $0.01 with no reserve:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8236443456

Mullinator @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

I just think it it sad when all the talk about a new console isn't over how much fun it is but rather on how and why it is so difficult to actually get. Not a good sign in my opinion.

Despero @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

I am almost glad I didn't get an Xbox 360 today, because as I thought about it longer, I figured that I wanted a PS3 more anyway. Outside of Xbox Live, there is nothing that draws me towards the 360 over any other next-gen console.

Despero @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Take Two @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Ugh, while searching in vain this morning for the 360 (mind you, I started at 6am), I did come across these guys who at 7:30am had 3 consoles! They were selling them out of the back of their SUV for $700 in front of Toys R Us. I had moved on, but these guys were working the parking lots at all the local game stores, and by 8:30am they caught up with me again. By then, they had one console left which they were selling for $900.

LMAO @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

The one thing I hate the most:

People "scalping" consoles on launch day.

The second thing I hate the most:

People who are willing to pay 3-10x more to those "scalpers."

darryl @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

"Fellow (unsuccessful) launch-line seekers, you have our sympathies."

Hehehe... Get used to being shafted by Microsoft. You do not have my sympathies. You get what you deserve.

Luke @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Hey omenz, I placed a five dollar bid on that.
And there is free shipping.

omenz @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

HAHA wouldn't that guy be screwed if you won Luke. -$325 in the hole. HAHA.

Luke @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

It's up to $76 already.

Self Conshus @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Although I didnt stand in line, I was pretty disappointed when I passed by the compusa near my house(which I thought would be a sure way of getting one easily) already had 15-20 people camped out front at 5am. I'm not bitter, but I'm just kinda pissed that you can't get a flipping console without sleeping on the pavement in front of the store. Is this supposed to be microsoft's way of motivating me to buy a 360? They can talk shortages all they want, but we all know what the real deal is. All I can do now is hope the PS3's launch will be better in terms of how many units will be allotted to stores. I was really excited about getting the 360, but all these hoops you have to jump through just get one has turned me off.

BlackYoshi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Darryl, many people who don't pre-order any of the systems will get shafted on launch day. I expect as much problems with the PS3 (probably not so much Revolution) so get off your anti-Microsoft high horse.

ZeroCorpse @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

1. Nobody forced anybody to camp out. You could camp out for ANY product, but most people don't do it. With this item, people decided to do it, and as such every store ran out. For the record, my store got more 360s in this week than we did any other console currently available, so the "shortage" is only in relation to the large number of people trying to get one.

2. The Wal*Mart was probably deluged with phone calls. I literally dealt with one call every two minutes on average last night, each one asking the same question, each one completely unsurprised by my answer, and I wasn't the only one taking calls. Cut us some slack, will you? It's not like retail workers had ANY control over any of this.

Vexorg @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

I camped out in front of the local Costco and was able to get one. I got there at 10:30 last night, and was #45 out of the 48 they were getting. Some of the people I hung out with in line actually managed to bring out a 360 to play while waiting (one of them had a first batch preorder at Gamestop they were able to pick up at Midnight.) Hours were spent on Geometry Wars...

Detrill18 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

I arrived at the Virgin Megastore on Michigan Ave. at 6:30 AM, and was the fifth person on line. They only had 8 premiums, so I was lucky. I guess it really pays off to scour around the alternative retail outlets. I hope everyone who wants an XBOX 360 will have one in time for holiday season. Also, I have to note that the VGA cable couple with an optical sound cable works wonders. Best wishes to everybody for a safe turkey day!

Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

I can understand retail workers' frustration with the repetitive line of questioning, ZeroCorpse, but only two other Circuit City stores that I didn't list refused to pick up the phone whatsoever. (The automated voice messaging system there simply stated that the stores were closed after 10 this morning.) Every other store took my call and answered my--I'm sure by that time--annoying question. Wal-Mart is a bigger store than every other location by far (with probably fewer games-related personnel per capita), but hearing a recorded message advise me to pay money for a call-back service seemed a bit much (and I must have called that location a dozen times today). It was thoughtful of them to offer that service, though, I suppose.

Jason @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

I sat at Walmart for 6 hours......I have no 360, from that point, 12pm I want to Kmart's parking lot and waited in line for 7 hours(I was 2nd mind you)......I still have no 360, the shipment never came! I am so frustrated with this Xbox 360 situation. Thank god for Half Life 2

Radiant Silvergun @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

I believe the automated recording asking to call you back for a fee is from SBC (formerly Ameritech). Whenever I get a local busy signal, that message breaks in. I've never used it.

Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Interesting observation, Radiant Silvergun. And I thought that was Wal-Mart's customer service at work! Thanks for the info. (With the popularity of voice mail these days, I believe that was the first time I'd ever heard of that message/offer. Surprise, surprise...)

Pete @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

I'm sure we have your sympathies. You got yours for free. We waited in the 40 degree rain here in Boston at Best Buy (Right across from Fenway).

Robert Meyers @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

We thought the ghetto target at 88th and cottage grove was the way to go, nope! We arrived around 6 and it did not open until 9 no 360. Then we went to bedford park and missed the toysrus line by 5 mins for one of their ten available. Then another target, walmart etc. all in bedford park. All two hours before they opened. What a waste of a morning. It could be the longest trip for breakfast ever! what a disaster! Anyone know anything about the next shipments?

Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Actually, Pete, I only played on one of two 360s this past weekend. Joystiq HQ may have a few right now, but until MS sees fit to send one to me here in Chicago, I'm pretty much in the same boat as you are, believe it or not (which translates into more incentive for me to call stores today). So did you get a system today, Pete? (I did not!)

Winberg @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8236430820&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1 theres my 2nd one damn this xbox360 is awsome

pukgreenuniform @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Yah seriously as soon as anyone finds out anything about the next shipments please let us all know!

Luke @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

$6oo ??? No way would I pay that, but then I already got one. Well I will in a few days after it gets shipped out, got it from gamecrazy. On e-bay. For the regular price.

Sam @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

I pre-ordered my Xbox 360 the day it became available from EBgames and the second they opened for business today I picked it up. You people could have done the same so don't go bashin on Microsoft because of your failures at life =P

WTF @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

#2 you must be dumb, its not the current bid - its the END BID that counts. Find me one that went under $500

Frustrated 360 hopeful @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

I talked to people in line today who pre-ordered but were told their console would not be sold to them today. How long ago did you pre-order? 7-8 months or longer?

GameStop and EB Games in my area weren't even able to sell consoles other than those that were pre-sold. And of those, only a limited number were available. Not a single console was avaialble for walk up traffic. They actually said to check back next year!

It's disappointing when you go through a lot of effort, arriving at stores 4 hours before they open, and still find yourself turned away. And after you visit 6 stores, all before they open, and discover the same thing, you become totally discouraged.

I seriously would not consider doing this again, even if there's a possibility of more consoles arriving Friday (which by the way, makes absolutely no sense, it's not like they were JUST manufactured-- more like held back and just shipped)

Friday is going to be crazy shopping-wise.

Lectoid @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

I went to Best Buy at 8pm Monday night on North Ave. in Chicago and the manager came out and took a count, I was the 2nd person behind the last guy to get the last core system. So I walked a block away to Circuit City on North Ave. and was 3rd in line. They only had 6 360's and 3 cores, man there were a lot of pissed off people. I came home, started playing NFS, and passed out. Good times..

Mark Streed @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

I went to Sams Club, I was number 20 in line. The good news was they had 20 units to sell. The bad news is that they sold 2 of those units to employees. And there were three people in front of me buying a second unit just to sell on ebay. And then they were off to pick up their pre-ordered units. Maybe I can get one by summer time, YEAH RIGHT! LOL

Jack Pardo @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Im sorry but I just went and searched ebay to see how inflated the prices are and $1000.00 for a game system is ridiculous... The reviews for the launch games have been mediocre... Do people forget that for both PS2 and Xbox no awesome games came out for 6 months??? I wish I had waited in line for one just so I could take some suckers money...

CrAzY American @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Yeah it was pretty much crazy. I stayed in line at walmart for 9 1/2 hours. But i was lucky, it was indoors. I got mine and then went to a Best Buy at 1:00 and there were already over 50 people camped out in front of the store and then went over to a Target and there were not as many as Best Buy, but quite a few.

I was lucky as hell. 24 out of 32 premiums. The first Walmart I went to got 4 premiums! FOUR-what the hell is that??

By the way, the system is pretty sweet. I got COD2 and PD0. There both fun as hell.

Bloo @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

At least some people are starting there bids at a normal price...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8236453667

Who knows where it will end up though lol.

nyc @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Well I live in Chicago and I got one yesterday morning... from Fed Ex. Thank you Circuit City.

PickyPants @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

I didn't get one. I didn't want one. I slept in. It was wonderful.

Bloo @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

"I didn't get one. I didn't want one. I slept in. It was wonderful."

Well obviously you didn't get one if you didn't want one. Do you post just to post or do you actually have a point?

Where is the rating system?

joe @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

My XboX 360 Launch Experience
it long but worth it, the craziness of this launch i will never forget

I reserved my copy of xbox 360 on June 8th from game stop, i put my $50 down and was told come in and pick it up launch day.

So my mind was at ease until about two weeks ago when all this internet hype about storages and all this other jazz

So i started calling to figure out if i'd have to kill someone to get this thing.
I found out after a few days of trying that my gamestop(note i live in NYC a city of 10 million ppl) was only receiving around 20 or so consoles, mine you when i put down my deposit it was seen as odd to do so a full 6 months ahead of time. So i was a little annoyed that gamestop happily took my $50 when in the back at the gamestop HQ they knew "hey we took 50 pre-orders from store #112 today, wait were only shipping 10 units to that store, maybe some one should let them know"

but i had to wait till five days before launch to NOT get a phone call telling me that i wouldn�t be getting mine in the first shipment, but that i would have to wait till the next (gamestops cutoff was all order in the month of may even though i ordered mine 7 days later in the first week of June.) so gamestop screwed me, but my will to get this did not end.

So i figured after reading more online that my best shot was waiting on line at a large retailer as they had the buying power to obtain larger quantities of the 360, so i did some more research and found the 3 best buy's near me each had NYC midtown-166 Brooklyn -Caesar bay-58 the other nyc-60

With a midnight launch for the mid-town best buy i figure hey it 6 pm i just about to get out of work ill just go right over there now and get on line for the midnight opening, while after walking from 11th to 5th in the rain and getting lost once, i was soaked and pissed. I walked up to the door and ask a employee where to go and what to do for the launch she (with the most annoying smirk on her face point around the corner) i walked around the corner to see 160 other dickheads waiting in line i tried to find the bring or end of the line but had to ask another best buy employee doing crowd control where is the back of the line, he say "there are no more spots on the line" so after walking in the rain and sick i look at the #1 as*hole in line a short little Mexican who waited there since 2pm i said "screw it"

after hoping on the train and going back into Brooklyn i was angry. I got home took a shower and convinced myself that the 360 wasn�t worth it and that the launch games were mediocre at best. I sat down and was reminder or and over again about the launch even having to endure a live broadcast from right were i was standing two hours earlier. So i changed the channel and decided for myself after hearing another rumor from my friend that a best buy in Brooklyn would have a midnight opening i opt to go there to check it out, now its around 830pm now i get to the best buy and walk up to a line of maybe 40 people, i have a fianc?ait in line while i go up to ask for more info, i get up to the guy and i say is this the line for the midnight opening and he say and this is a direct quote: "this is the line for the 9AM opening" now its raining out cold and already wet, i look at this guy like he has three heads and in disbelief that people were going to wait 12+ in the cold rain for this i said to myself, for get it I will get it soon or later.

So i went home disappoint again i feel asleep and said maybe ill go to the one near my job in the mourning but i didn�t get my hopes up. So i get a phone call at around 5am from my friend he says that while the line at the best buy has grown there is a small line forming at the toys r us, so i asked him how many people he says less then 20 so i say ok i get up out of bed and throw on some close take a car over to the best buy/toy r us shopping center and get in line
I wait from 530 am to around 845, now the line has grown to nearly 100 people, and i was about 30th in this line, the store manager of toy'r'us after walking around inside for over 1hr and 30 mins (we could see inside) post a sign on the widow
" WE ONLY HAVE 20 CONSOLE AVAILABLE"

This is were pandemonium broke out, now brooklynites are special people and where u combine the cold and all the bs the people got angry in total shock that i had just sold outside for 3 hours after doing all this other running around only to not get it i was angry. So i thought to myself where can i go that wouldn�t have huge lines like this.

then it dawned on my COSTCO after all you had to be a member($100 fee) so my friend and i jumped into his card and raced over to Costco, after getting lost briefly and then parking we got out to the store at around 9:45 the store opens at 10, while there was a big line at the door all of there were there oddly enough to buy food or all things. So my friend and i "skipped" them and stood at the front of the line. After waiting a few more minutes we were able to talk to the manager and show him our cards and he let us in. Once i felt the slip in my hand i relax FINALLY it was mine, so i then ran up and happily pocked down my $479.99 for the kameo bundle(360w/HD extra controller, game and recharge) i made out, i then waited a little longer for them to official open and then went up stair and bought 3 more games(PDZ was only $43.99) steal, i think ran home connected it to my pc monitor and started playing.

the morale of this story

Is that a certain giant software company should think out there launch plans much better as this consumer will never wait in line in the cold again for something that is going to sit on the shelves in japan but is flying off it in the US. And if they ever do it again that this certain consumer will just upgrade their pc and download them games for free (and point his nose up to the console market)

the 360 is a 10
the hype and bs to get it is a 0 out of 10
BTW don�t forget the I was paying them $600 for all this.

Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Nice story, joe. (And, yes, I read the whole thing. =) Congrats.

Jambal @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Hey everybody I was just in a store off of Canal Street N.Y. they had 360�s just at $900.00 no games, just the system� Is that legal?

joe @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

yea its legal its call supply and demand

Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Jambal, I believe what's illegal is misrepresenting the MSRP of a product, not gouging the consumer. (Well, unless it's by large corporations colluding, perhaps?) Our older story on MSRPs:

Joystiq narcs, rip-off artists busted
http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000107068044/

WillGonz @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

I went to one walmart. The stupid lady working there had no clue what to do. She said she wanted it to be fair so she wanted to do a drawing instead of first come first serve. Drawings are a big mistake you'll have 1000 people in the store waiting to get drawn. Camp out, if you want it bad enough you'll do whatever it takes to get it. Even if it's quitting your job.

xblog @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Wow..so hot the XBox.

Ned Mullen @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Last weekend I visited a number of outlets in the Los Angeles area looking for a Xbox 360 and learned the following:

1 - Best Buy, Fryes, and Toys-R-Us did not have any Xbox 360 machines.

2 - When I asked when I should come back I received the same answer from each store; "We do not expect any more Xbox units until January!"

The bottom line is that, in Los Angeles at least, Microsoft seems to have pulled the plug on Xbox. Ned