Grand Line Auto: Almost failure to launch (Boston edition)
click to embiggen
Howard, in a very somber, respectful and apologetic tone, told me there wouldn't be a midnight launch at the store. He explained, "It's a problem with the license. You have to have a special permit between midnight and six in the morning." Thanks, town of Dedham! Obviously, the store didn't get the permit and Howard said he'd be standing outside until about 2AM giving customers the bad news.
The bright side of this failure to launch in Dedham is that the store will open at 6AM tomorrow (today) and anyone that showed up for the midnight launch will get 10% off the game (they gave out slips as proof).
At this point it was 11:25, with still plenty of time to make it from Dedham to Cambridge for the only other midnight launch in Mass. All I could do was hope that the Cambridge store didn't have a licensing problem as well.
A to B is Dedham to Cambridge ... this is definitely not the route I drove
After driving through the pouring rain along the Jamaicaway (a windy road that isn't fun -- especially not in snow, rain or with drunks on the road), hopping across the Charles and going down the wrong way of a one way street to park (quite illegally) in the Petco across from the Best Buy at the Cambridge Side Galleria, it was quite obvious this place was having a midnight launch. The line had hundreds of people in it and stretched down the street.
I got in line. The guy in front of me received an image from one of his friends waiting in line at the Gamestop at the Prudential mall (above). Turns out the line was just as long there and consisted purely of pre-order folks -- and those people would probably be waiting a while because (if previous coverage holds true) there are only two registers.
GameStop Prudential line (Photo cred. Brendan)
I got in line. The guy in front of me received an image from one of his friends waiting in line at the Gamestop at the Prudential mall (above). Turns out the line was just as long there and consisted purely of pre-order folks -- and those people would probably be waiting a while because (if previous coverage holds true) there are only two registers.
The Best Buy Cambridge line was quick and efficient. Of course, some jerk in a car drove by screaming, "It's sold out." Luckily, not the case. I passed the time by talking to the guy in line behind me, Oliver, and it turned out he was another exile from the Dedham store (he even had a pre-order there). We finally hit the main door around 12:24AM. Upon entering, they had salsa music playing and a big table where you picked up your copy of the game, paid and got out. A five minute painless experience and I was back home by 1AM ...
And poor Howard, the Dedham Best Buy manager, was probably still outside turning people away.
And poor Howard, the Dedham Best Buy manager, was probably still outside turning people away.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
[.sm0ke.] @ Apr 29th 2008 3:09AM
That SUCKS. I had my copy at 12:15. I think the line was done around 12:45 at my GameStop.
PSN: KillaKornbread (the shirt is a lie!) @ Apr 29th 2008 3:49AM
yea i got my copy at 12:15 from GameCrazy. i even had time to get an MVP card in that time and i was in the middle of the line since i was one of the few preorders there that wasnt already an MVP member. there were still people coming in when i left. i dont understand why people dont preorder something like that. my guess would be that they sold about 60-80 copies all together tonight.
oh, did anybody get that DVD or whatever it was? they only had the ones for 360, it was something that came in a case that looked just like the regular GTAIV 360 box. just curious as to what i missed cause they didnt have any for PS3.
343 Guilty Fart @ Apr 29th 2008 12:38PM
Failure to launch was teh best movie evar!!
Owyn @ Apr 29th 2008 3:35AM
I wish i was American when i see this shit.
BIGGEN @ Apr 29th 2008 5:44AM
yeah, but at least your pic is funny as hell
GamerCrusader @ Apr 29th 2008 2:54PM
Remember though, if you were american you would have to suffer the line.. Longline is LOoooooOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong.
Ngh. Had to do it.
Kris K @ Apr 29th 2008 3:54AM
SHow me this law / permit needed?
I googled it and cannot find it. Since when does a business need a permit to be open? I would love to see this. I'll bet you they could have stayed open and sold it without fear of getting busted and if they did get busted im sure the fine (if legal) would be so small it would warrant being open after midnight.
J.Goodwin @ Apr 29th 2008 5:39AM
It's a blue law.
The towns and cities in Massachusetts have been around longer than the counties and state, and each one has a lot of local authority to set times that stores open and close etc.
This Best Buy just happens to be in a place that requires them to close at night. The grocery store in the town I live in actually just went to blue hours. I think there may be a resurgence of enforcement right now. You're also seeing more stores closed on holidays. It's also possible that the stores are just finding that it's not worth keeping the places open because there isn't enough business though.
That hall at the Pru IS long. Dayum.
J.Goodwin @ Apr 29th 2008 5:46AM
Oh, and the particular bylaw is Deham's Town Bylaws, Chapter 13, 42A:
"No store or place of business engaged in the retail sale of any commodity except fuel products shall be open for the transaction of retail business between the hours of 12 midnight and 6:00 A.M."
http://www.dedham-ma.gov/index.cfm?cdid=12111
You'll notice that if you cross reference to chapter 29, there's not actually any fine for breaking this particular law ;)
Recovering MassHole @ Apr 29th 2008 3:00PM
Indeed, you are correct about the rise of Blue Laws nationwide. I read a story about it on Slate about a week or two ago. Anywho, were Menino and his brown shirts at the Pru taking photos of the buyers? You have to love the Peoples Republic of Massachusetts.
exodus264 @ Apr 29th 2008 3:56AM
I feel really bad for that poor Howard guy
Exiled Legend @ Apr 29th 2008 4:05AM
sucks
nealbailey @ Apr 29th 2008 4:31AM
Most of the people I know have had their copy since last Monday when it dropped on IRC and Usenet.
How humiliating.. people waiting in line at a store at midnight for a video game??
MatsJn @ Apr 29th 2008 4:54AM
People wait in line at night for books, movies, celebrities etc.
Why should video games be any different?
Paul B @ Apr 29th 2008 5:23AM
I think the point he is making is that he would rather download an illegal copy than wait and pay for it.
tapo @ Apr 29th 2008 4:54AM
You *are* aware there's a Best Buy in Braintree...right? No way in hell would I risk my life on the J-way at 1 AM
Frank @ Apr 29th 2008 9:38AM
The Jamaica Way is the most rediculous stretch of road in Massachusetts. Road rage is sure to be felt by all motorists traveling up and down it.
Paul B @ Apr 29th 2008 5:21AM
We were the first in line at our local 24 hour Wally World, only to be told at midnight that when they opened the shipment they only had PS3 copies.
Ran straight to GameStop and got the next to last copy.
West @ Apr 29th 2008 5:45AM
OOO! OOO! I've been to the Galleria! I recognize it! Man, I wish I lived in the Boston area. OKC's not too bad though...
Maverick Saturn @ Apr 29th 2008 5:59AM
Lol, I wouldn't wait at 12 for anything except a large quantity of money, a lamborghini, a bugatti veyron, a mansion, halle berry as my wife, angelina jolie as my wife, or other such things.
Lol, GTA4 however, nah.
Consolcwby @ Apr 29th 2008 6:32AM
@Alexander Sliwinski: Wouldn't it have been easier to have just gone 128 to 2, since it's almost always dead from 9:30pm on. It's a hellalot better than risking life and limb... then again, I'm out by Worcester, so wtf do I know?... except for nearly losing my life on that Jway. =S
GumbyX84 @ Apr 29th 2008 7:17AM
Dang that line at the Pru was long. Makes me happy I don't work retail anymore. But does make me happy that my old manager was stuck there. :-D Anyone how shops there knows of K** (don't want to give out his real name) and his "legendary" customer service and attitude. Do feel bad for his employees (most of which I am friends with): For having to work through that HUGE line with only 2 Registers (they might have 3 if they kept the Christmas register) AND having to put up with him on a midnight launch. Not fun at all.
Anyway, how many people who post here are from Boston? I am surprised there are so many posts from people around here.
cjshrader @ Apr 29th 2008 8:46AM
Was his name Ken? I bet his name was Ken.
Mark @ Apr 29th 2008 7:19AM
Not all Best Buys had a midnight launch. Only certain locations were scheduled to be open.
Anticrawl @ Apr 29th 2008 7:44AM
Ah you gamestop goers are hilarious. I had a big kick out of the massive 300-500 person lines at all my local gamestops, I waked 20 feet from our local campus gamestop to my favorite mom & pop store Gameware. Stood around inside for about 10 minutes making small talk and strolled out with my copy. No lines, no fuss, no annoying gamestop employees.
RskimB @ Apr 29th 2008 8:04AM
i'm about to hit up walmart for the first time ever for a copy i think they open at 8
Nate @ Apr 29th 2008 8:04AM
Ahh, the Galleria, I used to work down the street from there. God I love Boston.
See, it's not about getting it early. If you could just walk in and get a copy at 12:01, that's no fun. It's about standing in a huge line of people who all want exactly what you want. I did it once for one of the Harry Potter books with my old girlfriend. It was pretty fun.
JohnMazz @ Apr 29th 2008 9:33AM
Yea... I used to work in the Galleria for a few years (at KB) it can get pretty crazy in there.
Gamestop lets you wait inside, but Best Buy always seems to make people wait on 1st street.
kilodelta @ Apr 29th 2008 8:12AM
i went to a local Ma n' Pa store in toronto. 2 guys working, one on the cash, one on the door.
i was about 45th in line of 60.
i was out of the store at 12:40 with the last Special Edition copy.
Evan @ Apr 29th 2008 8:13AM
I just don't get it, why would anyone who pre-ordered the game go through the trouble of lining up to buy it? You know you'll get a copy.
Is it so you can look cool in front of your coworkers/classmates when you tell them you have the game before they do? Sorry, but standing in line like a good little consumer does not make you cool. Besides, in a couple of days they could even surpass you in progress through the game, and be telling you about missions that you haven't even seen yet - having an eight hour head start doesn't amount to much in such a long game.
electronicat @ Apr 29th 2008 8:36AM
So let me get this straight. You couldn't just go home and sleep, and then come back in the morning and save 10% on the same game you bought 6 hours ago? Lame. Was it really worth it?
pauljtaylor @ Apr 29th 2008 8:47AM
I can confirm that Howard was still out there at 12:30am.
hyde @ Apr 29th 2008 10:46AM
someone should make a videogame of driving down the j-way in the rain. that would be way more fun than doing it for real...
refinedsugar @ Apr 29th 2008 1:00PM
Nice story and props go out to Howard. A lesser person would have done, er, less.
Lekko @ Apr 29th 2008 1:39PM
Had a blast at the launch we ran. We had Rock band set up and were taking turns playing GTA 4 leading up to midnight. Not a ton of people showed up, so everyone got a turn and we had free food too. Best launch ever.
Gideon @ Apr 30th 2008 7:16PM
Dude, I was on the line with you at Cambridge! HA! Small world. I was thinking of going to the Dedham one, too, but Cambridge was closer. Glad you got the game. :)
Lifted 0ne 4l9 (NDF) (MSDF) MKWii 0903-3125-3021 @ May 2nd 2008 5:53PM
that was not the only midnight launch in MA, they had a midnight launch at the North Attleboro gamestop on rt 1 across from emerald square mall, granted thoughi believe you needed a reserve as you did a few days earlier when i got my MKWii there at midnight
PH0EN1X @ May 5th 2008 2:21PM
ha i live in the boston area, went to the gamestop in Woburn, MA. i expected a line to start forming between 4 and 7, but nobody was there...i started the front of the line at 4:15 and these kids were there asking if we were in line for GTA and we said yes so they stuck with us and the next person showed up around 10:00ish...it was stupid. i was expecting the line to sky rocket but only like 25-50 people showed up by 12:15.