Boston mayor billing Sony for Copley chaos
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Nov 18th 2006 at 8:25PM }
WHDH reports Boston's mayor, Thomas Menino, plans to bill Sony for the chaos caused at Copley Place yesterday. According to WHDH it took 12 police officers to clear the "crazed gamers" and the city blames the Sony Style store. Unlike the Landmark Center Best Buy, which prevented a bad situation from occuring, the Sony Style store provoked it by withholding launch numbers, not allowing pre-orders and having a laissez-faire system in place for launch. Billing for police time could happen across the country with stores that withheld launch details causing a preventable situation to turn ugly.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
dead_red_eyes @ Nov 18th 2006 8:30PM
It's always so easy to blame someone else isn't it?
nick @ Nov 18th 2006 8:36PM
Actually, I'm with the mayor on this one. Sony should have known there would be people expecting to buy the console on launch day, and they could have prepared better. There was no reason it had to be that chaotic. People could have been hurt.
I hate to think it-- but I'm almost of the mind Sony wanted this to happen to it could end up on the evening news as a frenzy of people wanting the console.
minus_273 @ Nov 18th 2006 8:37PM
hahah Mayor Mumbles Menino. Im surprised anyone understood him are you sure he wasnt talking about the big dig or something.
Zoot Suit Jedi @ Nov 18th 2006 8:37PM
Good. Someone should be responsible. Either Sony or the retailers. This launch was a disaster.
Kevin @ Nov 18th 2006 8:38PM
Every place in the world should complain because Sony produced such embarassing numbers which results in crazy gamers wanting to get their new system just so they can SELL it. Sony wouldn't care though.
It's sad when the main reason to buy the brand new gaming system is to sell it on eBay. Good thing Nintendo is dishing out incredible numbers.
Matt @ Nov 18th 2006 8:51PM
Look at the mugg on that guy! ROFL WITH MAYO
Tim @ Nov 18th 2006 8:52PM
I say sue retailers for holding midnight releases instead of doing pre-orders.
Cherry Ghost @ Nov 18th 2006 8:57PM
It should also be noted that he sent a letter to the owner of the store complex too, but doesn't realistically expect to get money from either of them.
JAC @ Nov 18th 2006 8:54PM
I dislike Sony as much as the next guy, but WTF???, the only people who should be blamed are the ones who were causing trouble, what is with people not taking responsabilty for their actions anymore?
skauffy @ Nov 20th 2006 1:38PM
Yes, they should blame Sony for making a product so many people wanted...
lordroba @ Nov 18th 2006 8:57PM
This guy is just sour cause he didn't get a PS3.
spoot @ Nov 18th 2006 8:59PM
yeah skauffy, he's obviously a wii fanboy.
Jon @ Nov 18th 2006 9:00PM
I agree exactly with JAC. This is stupid.
Lone Starr @ Nov 18th 2006 9:23PM
He looks funny. :)
FMB @ Nov 18th 2006 9:23PM
Maybe if Sony had shipped more than two consoles, there wouldnt have been such crazyness in trying to get you hands on one.
B @ Nov 18th 2006 9:28PM
Too bad he didnt get one.
WedgeTalon @ Nov 18th 2006 9:36PM
My mind boggles at the stupidity of this guy's notion.
Shannon @ Nov 18th 2006 9:31PM
Reading comprehension fellas. He isn't blaming Sony the console maker, he is blaming the people in charge of that Sony Store.... Doesn't sound that unreasonable to me.
predator.z6 @ Nov 19th 2006 4:17PM
lol i bet he really is pissed because his kids wanted one and he let them down just like he lets down his wife at night LMAO...
otakucode @ Nov 18th 2006 9:44PM
That man is the perfect example of a political PIG.
The sole cause of the chaos was the individuals who were present and acted as they did. This filthy scumbag just wants to go after Sony because they have deep pockets and he likes to think he's powerful and gets off on getting people and companies to bow down before him.
Ride him out of town on a rail, Boston.
Werbal @ Nov 18th 2006 9:47PM
I'm with the mayor. The store should have anticipated crazy numbers of people for the launch and prepared accordingly. If they had a better system in place, the officers would not have had to been called out, and thus the city wouldn't have had to pay them. It was the store's responsibility and they blew it.
E.J. @ Nov 18th 2006 9:47PM
So, all the people here that disagree with the mayor think that Sony isn't somehow responsible for this?
It was the SONY Styles store that did this. The store manager should a least get fired for letting this happen. It was an irresponsible business decision, therefore the business should be held responsible for its irresponsibility.
JohnQAnonymous @ Nov 18th 2006 9:48PM
"Why, I had to wait almost 20 minutes to get my morning cup of lard from the local coffee shop because of this PS3 thingamabob..."
E.J. @ Nov 18th 2006 9:51PM
Wow, yeah, my post was redundant.
Exeter @ Nov 18th 2006 10:00PM
Yes, it's completely unreasonable for the police chief to make public his anger at the irresponsibility of a major corporation. Sony isn't to blame for allowing one of its stores, as much of a "Sony representative" as someone on the floor at a convention, to half-ass a major product launch and directly contribute to a scene of civil unrest that required police involvement. One should also, at this time, mock the man with the shit-eating grins of adolescents who haven't a clue of the nonsense policemen have to put up with. In fact, the store shouldn't be responsible at all; what's the big deal with a small riot, right?
...
Are you out of your minds? At most stores, the launch went without incident, and they should be commended for being good merchants. And perhaps it is a bit dramatic to send a bill to Sony HQ for something that happened at a retail outlet (although it'll probably end up there, anyway, to the horror of soon-to-be "former" manager of that Sony Style). But those that lacked the foresight to prepare for the launch and so caused a problem should, I think, be fined, just like police would fine a person whose house party got out of control. But I guess most of you who have commented would, if you were ticketed for being obnoxiously drunk, bitch about that, too, wouldn't you?
so youd like to know @ Nov 18th 2006 10:18PM
if im sony i just go ahead and say ok you know what forget america, we are just selling in japan and europe because no matter what we do people give us shit.
Ryan @ Nov 18th 2006 10:17PM
Sony is full of shit, but it wasn' all their fault. The mall definitely could've organized that better. I'd blame the individuals, but I'd be just as pissed if I stood in the rain for a few nights just to have some bullshit like that happen.
nick @ Nov 18th 2006 10:16PM
Yeah, when I mentioned Sony, I'm talking about the Sony Store in the mall, not Sony corporation. I think it's up to the retailer, if they know an item is going to cause a frenzy, to try and maintain some type of order. We all knew the launch date. We all knew limited quantities. We all know people want them. We all knew about the long lines and the sell out for the 360 a year earlier. Why would the Sony Store not hand out vouchers or advise how many would be available? Because people who might not have had a chance of getting one might go home, and we'd only see 5-10-20 people in line?
Norm @ Nov 18th 2006 10:19PM
Exeter's post nails it right on the head.
I get the feeling that the majority of posters here at Joystiq still feed from their mom's breasts and get their asses wiped by daddy. Tax payers had to foot the bill for Sony's F-d up handling of this system launch. Unlike the rest of you bitchy little kids I pay taxes and work a REAL job, the last thing I would want my tax dollars to pay for would be an international corporation's incompetence. Screw Sony and screw them hard.
And for the record I got a PS3 with no problem launch day, so save your idiot comments.
Wake the hell up you snot nosed idiots.
uglyteeth @ Nov 18th 2006 10:28PM
The store should flip the bill for the police. I'm no manager and those of you out there that are can tell me if I am wrong but: If I knew I had 20 ps3's for sale, I would give the first 20 people in line a ticket, have them come in one at a time, or some other orderly procedure. After that, I would announce, with a bullhorn, "We had 20 ps3's, the first 20 people in line claimed them, if you are not one of the first 20, you will NOT receive a ps3. If you are found to cause any disturbance, you will be subject to prosecution, thank you." Then I would put a giant sign above the door saying we didn't have anymore ps'3, please check back in the future, thank you.
To my knowledge, not many stores did this. They let people line up way past the number of systems available. Of course you are going to have angry people if you let it get this far.
Inferno @ Nov 18th 2006 10:29PM
Part of me wants to say, "Haha Sony!", and part agrees with those who say Sony isn't responsible for people being stupid. But Like several people have said, there are many retailers who launched their systems without incedent. Then there are the several Sony stores around the US where rioting, injuries and violence took place. I fell 100% certain part of that was expected by Sony so their launch would make the news. Free publicity. But when the local police have to go and corral a bunch of pissed off gamers instead of more important things? That is when tax payers are paying for Sonys stupidity. Where do you think the money to run police departments come from. So all of us who weren't stupid enough to be out there, and don't even want a PS3, are still paying for Sonys crappy launch. So I would say the City should fine them for causing civil unrest, not bill them and not expect payment.
Steve @ Nov 18th 2006 10:28PM
looks like someone didn't get his system and is getting grumpy. this is ridiculous, how is sony responsible for the distribution method of every individual retailers? i mean, every store has its own distribution method, midnite releases, tickets, preorders. as influential or capable as sony could be, it's extremely difficult to coordinate a global release down to every single store among all the retailers. not to mention, some bestbuy retailers actually did a good job preventing the escalation of the realtime release, which demonstrates that they are fully capable of controling the situation and the mishandling on their parts.
Fisher @ Nov 18th 2006 10:34PM
It's worth noting that it was this particular stores responsibility to coordinate with mall security... which they failed to do. There's another videogame store one floor above them which had no problems with the PS3 launch.
Additionally.... Mr. Norm.
Bravo. You've nailed a sentiment, and frustration, that many adult gamers feel.
-Fisher-
Fandel @ Nov 18th 2006 10:35PM
I think that people are forgetting to ask the real question here.
A week prior to the PlayStation 3 launch here in America, Sony launched the system in Japan. There was no virtually difference in the way Sony handled the launch in Japan, and how they handled the launch in America. But for some odd strange reason, no one in Japan was shot, no one was robed, and everyone escaped with out much incident.
The question I have to ask is.....
Why is it when someone releases a console in Japan, people act more or less, civilized? While when the same company releases the same console in the United States a week later, Americans act like blood thirsty savages?
Maybe instead of blaming Sony, we should blame ourselves for being a country full of idiots, and. assholes.
Hardcore @ Nov 18th 2006 10:37PM
Typical Boston and stupid Mumbles dumbass policies, god I hate him. Blame everyone else. What else would the Boston cops be doing? Hanging at one of the 3000 Dunkin Donuts or sitting on their fat asses getting pay checks watching construction sites, that's what. How he keeps getting his lard ass re-elected I don't know.
Lobe @ Nov 18th 2006 10:42PM
Well, you can't say no company can be responsible for such incidents.
If a company chooses to keep information hidden and "knows" that it will cause a situation then that is called negligence. That is the serious point of discussion.
I think perhaps if you have a house party that tears up the neighbourhood that would you expect the host to fit the bill don't you? They'd fine him or something. I mean you can't use the police to be your line keepers.
We just have to know if that's what this particular Sony Store did.
minus_273 @ Nov 18th 2006 11:10PM
"How he keeps getting his lard ass re-elected I don't know."
He is a democrat MA is a one party state we dont really hold elections here. Its like the mayor of beijing.
Richard Williams @ Nov 18th 2006 11:11PM
I am a big fan of capitalism, but it has gotten out of hand when the government has to bail out a huge corporation like Sony because they have not anticipated a crush on their product (which incidentally they under-produced to drive up the interest IMHO). Bravo Mayor (spoken by a non-democrat)
cheese @ Nov 18th 2006 11:21PM
My only question: Do they blame championship basketball teams for riots in the streets?
or is that just expected, divert your eyes type deal on the part of the politicians just because fear of losing votes of hooligans that like to riot? I'll tell you what it is, they think it's us gamers and geeks that started these riots, while it's actually all the ebay scalpers that caused all this ruckus. WTF was Sony supposed to do? If they didn't have any units at all, the people would have probably rioted anyways. Think about it.
otakucode @ Nov 18th 2006 11:25PM
If you want a product, and it is released in limited quantity, and in the rush of trying to acquire one you fall back on a fatalistic survival-of-the-strongest mindset and push and shove your way to the thing you want, you should be put in jail. Period. At no time did any of these idiots lose control of their free will. Saying that the lure of the product was so great that it obviated their need to exercise judgement over their actions is disgusting and so condescending to the human race you should be ashamed of yourself if that's what you believe.
James @ Nov 20th 2006 1:04AM
Yeah, when people throw fistfuls of hundred-dollar bills in the air over a big crowd, they're not at all responsible for the people who get injured in the ensuing melee. (/sarcasm)
Seriously, when stores have a policy that encourages a free-for-all, that's their fault for being stupid. They knew full well that there were going to be many more people than units, and that the people would know that, and that the console is worth drastically more than they're selling it for.
Peter @ Nov 18th 2006 11:37PM
I was one of those in line for the launch, and it was absolutely crazy. The police and mall security did a terrible job of controlling the crowd. They honestly couldn't have handled the situation any worse, so they deserve to take the blame.
otakucode @ Nov 18th 2006 11:39PM
Just to clarify my point... if Sony had sent fliers to peoples homes alerting them that there were unlimited preorders available, took preorders and announced they would have 2,000 extra units in the store on launch day, and then only had 3 units, then went on to put the 3 units at the top of a pillar and tell the waiting fans that those who fought their way to the top would get the machines, the responsibility would still lie ENTIRELY with the individuals.
It doesn't matter if you are persuaded, cajoled, lied to, encouraged, or ordered to, you do not enact violence on another human being and get to skate on the consequences. If you attack someone for any reason other than defense against actual physical bodily harm, you have turned your back on civilization and civilization should turn its back on you.
Bernard @ Nov 19th 2006 12:15AM
"Unlike the rest of you bitchy little kids I pay taxes and work a REAL job, the last thing I would want my tax dollars to pay for would be an international corporation's incompetence."
"Screw Sony and screw them hard."
"And for the record I got a PS3 with no problem launch day, so save your idiot comments. Wake the hell up you snot nosed idiots."
You must be a pleasure to work with.
cobalt @ Nov 19th 2006 2:56AM
Okay, there's a lot of misunderstanding going on here.
Mayor Menino is referring to the particular Sony Style store in the particular mall where there was a real laundry list of problems. He wants to hold this particular store responsible for how they handled the launch. It is all very particular.
If you had read previous posts about the Copley store's actions and inactions around the PS3 launch, and compared that to, say, the post about the exemplary behavior of the management at the Best Buy in the Landmark Center (also in Boston), you would notice major differences.
1. Management at the Sony Style store failed to take any responsibility for anything related to the fact that there was a line of people waiting for one and a half days, much less two groups of people in different locations after the first group was displaced for being on public property.
2. Management at the Sony Style store refused to accept any list or any method initiated by customers regarding who was waiting in line; nor did they use their own system. Essentially, they just wanted to run it "first come first served".
3. At the Landmark Center, the Best Buy management specifically asked customers waiting in line to come up with their own method of determining the line order, and the customers quickly came up with a fair system that they were able to implement.
4. When it became clear that they were going to receive far fewer numbers than expected, the Best Buy management took actions to accept the list of customers, to tell the customers in line that they should leave, and to allow the customers on the list who didn't receive the first batch to leave with a pre-order.
There were Boston police at both sites, but the Mayor is talking about only one of them. At one site, there was a brawl over a small number of systems; whereas at the other site, over 140 people picked up a PS3 over the first 24 hours of the launch without any problems. Which line would you want to be in?
Anyone who is faulting the behavior of the Mayor in this situation is probably a child or adolescent, probably does not vote, probably has never waited in line or camped out for anything (basketball tickets, concert tickets, anything), and/or probably doesn't know what he or she is talking about.
cobalt @ Nov 19th 2006 3:09AM
Just to clarify for those who don't understand this:
The Mayor is not talking about holding Sony, the Japanese megacorporation, responsible. He's talking about the Sony Style store, which holds a business certificate in the city of Boston, of which Mayor Menino is the publicly elected chief executive officer. These two things are totally different.
Pipper @ Nov 19th 2006 4:23AM
The Sony Style store is owned by Sony.
And yes, if it took 12 police officers to control such a large crowd, the person/business causing the crowd is typically billed for this anywhere else in the USA if they can't handle their own security. It looks like Sony didn't plan this out, and could have easily prevented this with pre-orders. But they didn't, so tough nuts on them. Maybe for the PS4 they'll have all their stores preorder or face the music again.
The ZeroCorpse @ Nov 19th 2006 5:12AM
Once again, I say that if we pass a law saying it's illegal to scalp new retail merchandise for a higher price than the MSRP within 60 days of Christmas, that bad console launches and old women getting stabbed over Elmo dolls would almost be a thing of the past.
Scalping is NOT capitalism or "free market" anything. It's forced, artificial inflation and falsely-created demand, caused by the scalpers themselves.
Treat Christmas scalpers like ticket scalpers, and this would be a lot less of a problem.
WedgeTalon @ Nov 19th 2006 10:01AM
The ZeroCorpse - how is it falsely created demand if people are actually purchasing all of the units at the higher price? Huge demand + low supply = high price. Economics 101.
Norm - I say this as a voter and tax payer: I'd rather "pay" (via my taxes) the police for this sort of thing than the their normal ineffectual activities (the "war on drugs", the money-generating schemes of the roads, etc).
If people decide to riot outside my shop, cart them away. They're the ones doing the rioting, I didn't force them to. I don't see why the store should be required to do more than they usually do. There *should* be such a thing as personal responsibility. A bunch of civilised people should be able to queue in some sort of civilised way on their own without resorting to the baser instinct of violence. Those who do obviously don't fit well in civilised society.
Anonymouse Rep @ Nov 19th 2006 11:04AM
First off, as a responsible adult and parent of gamers - I agree with Exeter and Norm.
Secondly, as someone who has worked and does work in the retail industry (DUH!), I know that it's ultimately the responsibility of the person who uses the public services to foot the bill if it's over and above the norm.
In other words, if my business alarm goes off and it's a false alarm triggered by something, then I can expect to see a bill in the mail from the police department for their alarm run. That's part of the cost of doing business. If my business alarm goes off and the police catch someone breaking into my store, then my insurance rates go up - but I don't see a bill directly from the police, because that's part of their job - and also, the guy that's arrested will probably get jail time and a fine, which is used to cover the police costs as well.
As for what specifically happened in Boston - there were a lot of lessons that retailers learned from the Xbox 360 launch last year. The first one was to maintain control of your crowd. The Wal-Mart store where the guy ran into the flagpole is another case of where the store management should be fired - they failed to maintain control. Best Buy did a great job - we've got this many units, if you're not already in line and are past this number, then you're not going to get one. Don't just mob up and all rush in. At the very least, the Sony Style store should pay the police bill, and the management should be fired.
NOW - for those of you who think that this is great publicity for Sony, it is to the extent that they got their name in the news. However, it's a negative feedback issue - their name was in the news about how bad things went: people mobbing, shootings, robbings, injuries. That's the kind of feedback that makes the corporate PR guy cringe. Hey, who remembers the video of Bill Gates proudly showing off Windows - and getting the BSOD (blue screen of death)? It was publicity, all right - but negative.
As for issues at the launch in Japan versus the United States - realize that you're talking about a culture that prides itself on freedom and space (US) versus a culture where they have guards that literally shove people in so that they'll all fit onto the train (JAP) and where many things are done but not seen (JAP) - there's a reason why salarymen feel women up on trains and nothing is said or done about it. This is NOT being racist on my part - it's merely an understanding from having worked with Japanese directly for many years that they view things differently than we do - and they grow up differently than we do because of their society.
(That's like the old comment about the American Wild West being a violent place - it actually wasn't. The violence primarily is a Hollywood creation. If someone had come up to rob you in line for your PS3 and everyone that was waiting in line was also armed - how far do you think that guy would've gotten?)