Why do stores put there customers at risk during console launch?

D

dborden

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 25, 2005
Messages
276
Why do stores do stupid shit like announce they are starting a line at 3pm on a Thursday for Friday morning release? Many stores in Milwaukee did that including best buy and walmart and they had 100 cars in the parking lot waiting at that time. Many of these stores also basically said we have ten chairs in side that garauntee sales for these items. So ready set RUN! Ambulances get called, police arrive, people are trampled.

HOWEVER, I went to a 24 hour walmart last night and talked to the manager and convinced her to just let people line up. I was first in line because of this along with my wife. Within 30 minutes the line had 12 people which was the number of PS3s(or rain checks) the store was giving out and there were no problems. We pitched tents. We all became buddy buddy and politely told other people that arrived not to bother. There was no blood or anything.

My question is why do stores purposefully do stupid launch plans where they KNOW that ambulances will be required? Aren't they liable? Couldn't someone who gets tramped on their properly sue for neglegence? I just don't understand.
 
Similiar experience here. I was standing in line with my buddy and we were 2nd in line at best buy...but as soon as the store opened everyone rushed the door and we lost our place and a shot at the ps3. People were arrested that night though heh.
 
While on my local Pepsi rout to a Target, I saw a buncha people all bundled up in their sleeping bags, seconds away from hypothermia (Minnesota Weather). I felt like telling them that the store only had 6 of them, but I didn't have the heart of crushing their dreams :p
 
The asshole at the local Wal-Mart had us wait outside in the rain until 7AM this morning.
The logic behind such a decision is beyond me, since there were only twelve of us and there really isn't a huge influx of customers until later in the day.

Other Wal-Marts enforced similar policies and some people got robbed while waiting outside. I look forward to seeing those stores get sued.
 
I didn't do the PS3 thing, but when I was at Wal-Mart for the PS2 launch there was a borderline riot. They forced people into a line...yet when they wheeled in the PS2's, they didn't enforce the line and it was a mad rush with punches being thrown. The same thing happened at Wal-Mart for those $400 HP laptops on black friday last November. They line people up just to get them out of people's way...but the line didn't actually mean anything.
 
I personally didn't camp out. We did swing buy Target last night after work for regular BS stuff. Was walking past the line and heard folks talking abou thow dedicated they were for the PS3 by camping out. One guy said his girl friend got admitted to the hospital and he still showed up.

Stores don't put you at risk you do. Unless you REALLY need your hand held for someone to tell you get out of the bad wheather cold etc... Noone put a gun to your head and said hey go stand in the blizzard with hopes of getting 1 PS3 out of the 5 the store recieved and your #15 in line
 
K600 said:
The asshole at the local Wal-Mart had us wait outside in the rain until 7AM this morning.
Other Wal-Marts enforced similar policies and some people got robbed while waiting outside. I look forward to seeing those stores get sued.
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I havent seen a walmart that wasn't open 24/7 in a few years. If I was to ever wait for a console it would have to be inside walmart hanging around the back of the store where they bring them out after they unload the trucks. I would have already grabbed one and ran to a register before the guy knew what happened.


There lucky they even have the option to wait outside at the doors and not be charged for loitering.
 
S0m30n3 said:
I havent seen a walmart that wasn't open 24/7 in a few years. If I was to ever wait for a console it would have to be inside walmart hanging around the back of the store where they bring them out after they unload the trucks. I would have already grabbed one and ran to a register before the guy knew what happened.
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It was a 24-Hour Wal-Mart. When they realized what we were waiting for, they told us we would be escorted off the premises for loitering if we didn't concede and wait outside.

There would be no "grabbing" of PS3s. The shipment, upon arrival, was escorted to the back of the store. You couldn't buy one early if you wanted to as their systems wouldn't allow it to be sold before 12:01.
 
K600 said:
It was a 24-Hour Wal-Mart. When they realized what we were waiting for, they told us we would be escorted off the premises for loitering if we didn't concede and wait outside.

There would be no "grabbing" of PS3s. The shipment, upon arrival, was escorted to the back of the store. You couldn't buy one early if you wanted to as their systems wouldn't allow it to be sold before 12:01.
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:confused: What do you mean escorted... When a truck comes in they get unloaded in the back storage room and added to the inventory. Then when they decided to put them out they wheel them out from the back and you can grab one off the cart.
 
They need to have raffles (60 tickets at $10 seems fair, with the winning ticking winning the PS3 "for free") or pre-orders. This whole line business is stupid.
 
S0m30n3 said:
:confused: What do you mean escorted... When a truck comes in they get unloaded in the back storage room and added to the inventory. Then when they decided to put them out they wheel them out from the back and you can grab one off the cart.
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I mean that when the FedEx truck arrived, a police officer and several in-store rent-a-cops walked with the clerks to the back of the store where they put them in a cage. Most of their inventory JUST came in yesterday. Before yesterday, they only had two systems.

When they were ready for sale, they pushed the systems from the storeroom to the lay-away counter (Which isn't accessible by customers unless you jump the counter) and sold them, one-by-one, in the order of the line (Which the store manager wrote down on a piece of paper quite some time beforehand).
 
K600 said:
I mean that when the FedEx truck arrived, a police officer and several in-store rent-a-cops walked with the clerks to the back of the store where they put them in a cage. Most of their inventory JUST came in yesterday. Before yesterday, they only had two systems.

When they were ready for sale, they pushed the systems from the storeroom to the lay-away counter (Which isn't accessible by customers unless you jump the counter) and sold them, one-by-one, in the order of the line (Which the store manager wrote down on a piece of paper quite some time beforehand).
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That was cool of the manager...seems like all the stores in the bay area got rushed as soon as the store opened....the whole point of the line ruined :( They just handed them out first come first serve.
 
K600 said:
I mean that when the FedEx truck arrived, a police officer and several in-store rent-a-cops walked with the clerks to the back of the store where they put them in a cage. Most of their inventory JUST came in yesterday. Before yesterday, they only had two systems.

When they were ready for sale, they pushed the systems from the storeroom to the lay-away counter (Which isn't accessible by customers unless you jump the counter) and sold them, one-by-one, in the order of the line (Which the store manager wrote down on a piece of paper quite some time beforehand).
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Maybe they were taunting you guys cause even delivery's from fedex or ups is supposed to be recieved in the back of the store.
 
dborden said:
Why do stores do stupid shit like announce they are starting a line at 3pm on a Thursday for Friday morning release? Many stores in Milwaukee did that including best buy and walmart and they had 100 cars in the parking lot waiting at that time. Many of these stores also basically said we have ten chairs in side that garauntee sales for these items. So ready set RUN! Ambulances get called, police arrive, people are trampled.

HOWEVER, I went to a 24 hour walmart last night and talked to the manager and convinced her to just let people line up. I was first in line because of this along with my wife. Within 30 minutes the line had 12 people which was the number of PS3s(or rain checks) the store was giving out and there were no problems. We pitched tents. We all became buddy buddy and politely told other people that arrived not to bother. There was no blood or anything.

My question is why do stores purposefully do stupid launch plans where they KNOW that ambulances will be required? Aren't they liable? Couldn't someone who gets tramped on their properly sue for neglegence? I just don't understand.
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something similar here, we went to circuit city which was packed, so we camped target, became friends with the other folks that were guaranteed the 8 consoles in stock, and had a merry time. the only problem was a pack of kids behind us whose parents let them skip school and sent them out with their money so the parents could profit...the parents were awful people and should not have left their 14-year-old kids out after curfew (the kids were asking around trying to bum cigarettes and drinks off peoples' flasks, and one kid shit in a corner (he had the police called on him))

why cant people just realize that it doesnt benefit stores to lie about their unit inventory? the store said they had 8, there were 8 people in line, the other people should have left and saved themselves the trouble.
 
dborden said:
Why do stores do stupid shit like announce they are starting a line at 3pm on a Thursday for Friday morning release? Many stores in Milwaukee did that including best buy and walmart and they had 100 cars in the parking lot waiting at that time. Many of these stores also basically said we have ten chairs in side that garauntee sales for these items. So ready set RUN! Ambulances get called, police arrive, people are trampled.

HOWEVER, I went to a 24 hour walmart last night and talked to the manager and convinced her to just let people line up. I was first in line because of this along with my wife. Within 30 minutes the line had 12 people which was the number of PS3s(or rain checks) the store was giving out and there were no problems. We pitched tents. We all became buddy buddy and politely told other people that arrived not to bother. There was no blood or anything.

My question is why do stores purposefully do stupid launch plans where they KNOW that ambulances will be required? Aren't they liable? Couldn't someone who gets tramped on their properly sue for neglegence? I just don't understand.
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they lose money on each ps3 sale...


they really could care less if you get shot
 
r_a_s88 said:
something similar here, we went to circuit city which was packed, so we camped target, became friends with the other folks that were guaranteed the 8 consoles in stock, and had a merry time. the only problem was a pack of kids behind us whose parents let them skip school and sent them out with their money so the parents could profit...the parents were awful people and should not have left their 14-year-old kids out after curfew (the kids were asking around trying to bum cigarettes and drinks off peoples' flasks, and one kid shit in a corner (he had the police called on him))
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You should have called the cops when they were going around asking for cigs. I hope they got a nice ride back to school for being truant and there parents got an ear full. I know my mom did when I was in hs.
 
Last night was a pretty bad experience for me and my friend. We talked to all the store managers and security to find out what their rules were for the PS3 launch. We didn't want to be pricks and we wanted to follow their rules to assure that noone would be hurt and whoever got there would get one. They told us that ZERO people could be anywhere near the mall parking lot until 6am and then the lines could start forming shortly after that. This was both for Circuit City and Target. Bestbuy had people in a line since tuesday night. We drove around trying to find a place to park so we could walk up and be first in line at 6am. As we drove around, mall security and local police were breaking up crowds of people waiting off to the sides just off mall property because they didn't want a large rush. At this point, we had a pretty good feeling about getting one. At about 3:45 am, we were hungry so we stopped at a tim hortons to get some coffee and muffins, then drove around a bit to check out other areas. At approximately 4:30, we drove by circuit city (thinking it would be the best place to go) and there was noone anywhere around, so we parked in a parking lot accross the street and started walking over to try to wait somewhere and get in line. This wasn't even 5 minutes later and as we approached circuit city we noticed a crowd of about 30 people standing in line. We walked up to the cops and security and asked them wtf was going on and reminded them that they told us noone gets on the property until 6am. The cop pretty much said "we changed our minds". Thanks a lot asshole. So much for abiding by the rules. Well that was a night and lots of gas wasted. :mad:
 
Why do english teachers leave their students at a disadvantage by passing them even though they can't spell? :p j/k
 
Anyone that waits in line for a electronic toy deserves what they get. Even if it is just to actually play with or re-sell on ebay. 600.00 is almost a months rent for me, it just shows how stupid people are when the system will be in stock eventually. And screw the parents whos little Johnny couldnt get a PS3 for xmas maybe showing the kid some love and directions would be a better gift then just a gadget.
 
I cant believe the idiocy thats been going on with these PS3s. I went to Bestbuy last night after work to pick up a new keyboard for my second computer, as well as pick up a movie, and when I tried to get in the door to do my shopping, the assholes in the line outside started screaming and hollering that I had to get in line and wait, and shoving each other around. I had no intention of getting in a line just to wait for a piece of electronics. As far as i'm concerned, those people were all morons. Fighting each other over a GAME console. People need to get a clue, or get a life because there's far better things for them to do rather than beat each other to death for something like that.

I keep reading these articles about mobs of people racing for the PS3s, or management of certain stores being overly difficult. Get real people.
 
Saloma Teale said:
Fighting each other over a GAME console.
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More like fighting each other for $2-3k... If you don't understand that concept, I suggest joining the communist party.
 
K600 said:
The asshole at the local Wal-Mart had us wait outside in the rain until 7AM this morning.
The logic behind such a decision is beyond me, since there were only twelve of us and there really isn't a huge influx of customers until later in the day.

Other Wal-Marts enforced similar policies and some people got robbed while waiting outside. I look forward to seeing those stores get sued.
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#9? Latham? Is that you??

:D
 
J-Mag said:
More like fighting each other for $2-3k... If you don't understand that concept, I suggest joining the communist party.
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A couple grand is not worth risking your personal health or safety over. And pardon me for saying so, but a couple grand isn't shit in the grand scheme of things anyway.
 
I work at a Best Buy in southern california (#118 Oxnard, w00) and I was opening the store for the launch. It went out, not with a bang, but with a whimper. People camped out all night, sleeping bags, tents, etc. We handed out tickets for as many systems as we had (34... 24 60GBs, 10 20GBs) and everyone else behind them had to leave the line. There were few grumbles, but people I guess realized "Hey what can you do?". Some people stuck around anyway, in case peoples cards were declined (None were). We opened the doors and they followed my supervisor around to the tables in an orderly fashion, and we let a few people at the tables at a time so it didn't get crowded. Registers were ready and everything went off without a hitch (Cept we couldn't find Tony Hawk in our warehouse for a while, but we got it out before the last of the people purchased their systems). The tables were filled to the brim with all the launch titles, about 50 SixAxis controllers, a few Mini-USB-to-USB cables for charging the SixAxis controllers, HDMI and Componant cables, Reward Zone subscriptions, pamphlets, all that good stuff.

Any manager who does otherwise is just asking for trouble. I just don't get it.

Very smooth.

About 2 hours later in the day we got 6 more 20GB systems in, we announced it over the PA, and people headed right to the front to claim them. No madness then, either.

And don't ask us when we're gonna get another shipment. We don't know and if we did we couldn't tell you anyway. :)

I can't tell you how many Wii's we are getting, but it's a significant amount.
 
Rich women will buy their BF/Husband a PS3 for X-mas. It aint just stupid rich parents, its also wonderful Gf/wifes.
 
Sabrewulf165 said:
A couple grand is not worth risking your personal health or safety over.
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Yeah if your a wuss, I mean seriously what "risk"? You have a greater chance of getting bit by a shark while visiting Denver.

Sabrewulf165 said:
And pardon me for saying so, but a couple grand isn't shit in the grand scheme of things anyway.
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Agreed, but the grand scheme of things is composed of lots of little things... Even when considering wealthy people. It's not like they got that way because they turn away $2-3k...
 
I forgot to mention;

One of the campers at the store I got mine from drove three hours and was pregnant. She said she was getting one as a surprise gift to her boyfriend, and I believed her (Since she actually opted for a 20GB instead of a 60GB, which she could have had. No scalper would do that).

They put her out just like all of us.
 
J-Mag said:
Yeah if your a wuss, I mean seriously what "risk"?
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Right, so I guess the risk of being trampled by an insane mob (which can result in serious injury or even death) is wussy. Not to mention the risk of robbery, the horrible weather coming through (risk of pnemonia or any other number of afflictions) or the risk of getting into a physical altercation with other crazed PS3 seekers who could be carrying knives or guns for all you know. Yes, very wussy :rolleyes:
 
Sabrewulf165 said:
Right, so I guess the risk of being trampled by an insane mob (which can result in serious injury or even death) is wussy.
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This logical fallacy is called "straw man."

Characterizing camping for a playstation as "risking being trampled by an insane mob" is roughly equivalent to characterizing driving on the interstate as "risking being smashed to bits by an insane drunk driver."

You know, I bet the percentage of people hurt in any way last night over the PS3 was way, *way* lower than the percentage of people hurt while driving last night.

Sabrewulf165 said:
Not to mention the risk of robbery, the horrible weather coming through (risk of pnemonia or any other number of afflictions) or the risk of getting into a physical altercation with other crazed PS3 seekers who could be carrying knives or guns for all you know. Yes, very wussy :rolleyes:
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Yeah, pretty wussy. You know, not everyone spends the entire fall and winter indoors. Amazingly, human beings have lived outside of heated houses for thousands of years without all dying on the first night.

It's pretty wussy not to camp out for a big pile of money because you're scared of phantom crazy hooligans or because it's almost freezing.
 
Sabrewulf165 said:
OK dude, before you continue to blow your own foot, you might want to read this:

http://console.hardocp.com/news.html?news=MjI1MjAsLCxoY29uc29sZSwsLDE=

Yeah, no risk at all. I win, so please quit trying to say there's no risk camping out for a playstation, you're just making yourself look silly.
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http://new.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=17398

I didn't say "no risk."

It's statistically insignificant. Out of approximately 400,000 units and rain checks, a very small handful got hurt.

How many people got hurt driving their cars last night?
 
kumquat said:
How many people got hurt driving their cars last night?
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Speaking of logical fallacies...

Anyway, you can quit arguing with me. I said it's not worth the risk. That's my opinion. It's already been proven that there IS a risk, and therefore there is no way you can win this debate. Game over.
 
Sabrewulf165 said:
Speaking of logical fallacies...

Anyway, you can quit arguing with me. I said it's not worth the risk. That's my opinion. It's already been proven that there IS a risk, and therefore there is no way you can win this debate. Game over.
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?

There is a risk standing in the shower every day. All I have to do is find one news story about someone slipping in their bathtub to prove there's a risk.

No shit there's "a risk."

My point is that the risk is insignificant, especially in comparison to other things that all of us do every day. You don't want to sit out because it's cold, it might rain, and there might be scary people there. Yeah, that makes you a wuss.
 
dborden said:
HOWEVER, I went to a 24 hour walmart last night and talked to the manager and convinced her to just let people line up. I was first in line because of this along with my wife. .
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Haha, convenient idea.
 
kumquat said:
?

There is a risk standing in the shower every day. All I have to do is find one news story about someone slipping in their bathtub to prove there's a risk.

No shit there's "a risk."

My point is that the risk is insignificant, especially in comparison to other things that all of us do every day. You don't want to sit out because it's cold, it might rain, and there might be scary people there. Yeah, that makes you a wuss.
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I don't really want to comment here, but I have to.

You both are right...

Yes, there is a risk of getting robbed, beaten, stabbed, shot, mamed, divorced :D , fired, waiting to buy a PS3. There is a risk associated with that. There is a risk associated with anything in life, sometimes more, sometimes less.

However, the percentages are a bit skewed because I would hope most everybody takes at least one shower a day, and people in general spend a lot of time in there cars. Nowhere near the amount of people in either group (people who showered/drove cars) camped for a PS3, so statistically speaking it was more dangerous to camp for a PS3, than driving or taking a shower. :D

But there is risk in everything.
 
hardwarephreak said:
statistically speaking it was more dangerous to camp for a PS3, than driving
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Are you sure? I'm not. Show me the numbers. Otherwise you're talking out or your butt ;)
 
kumquat said:
My point is that the risk is insignificant, especially in comparison to other things that all of us do every day.
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That was exactly my point as well.

The problem is that human behavior evolved from a standpoint where if one saw an event that caused physical harm, then usually that harm was also likely to happen to you, due to proximity.

Now our visual perception can be influenced from afar via the media, which causes over reactions as we are witnessing now with saberwulf. It is also why people are more freaked out about terrorism, crime, and disease than they really should be.
 
kumquat said:
?

There is a risk standing in the shower every day. All I have to do is find one news story about someone slipping in their bathtub to prove there's a risk.

No shit there's "a risk."

My point is that the risk is insignificant, especially in comparison to other things that all of us do every day. You don't want to sit out because it's cold, it might rain, and there might be scary people there. Yeah, that makes you a wuss.
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Well that's your opinion, and you're entitled to it, no matter how wrong it is :p

Seriously though, through discussing this with you, I've got better things to do now (and by the way, just in case you're wondering... I *personally* wouldn't camp out for a PS3 because I don't want one, and turning a grand or two on one wouldn't buy me anything that I can't afford to buy outright anyway!)

J-Mag said:
as we are witnessing now with saberwulf
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I'm not over-reacting, I just don't want a PS3 and scalping one won't buy me anything I can't buy anyway.

Also while we're tossing out stats, there have been 2 robberies and 2 shootings that I've heard of (means there could be more) out of 200,000 playstations shipped for launch. Assuming very conservatively that every store got 5, that's 40,000 stores, making for a 1 in 10,000 chance of getting robbed or shot while camping for your new console. Considering that a lot of bigger stores (which are also probably more likely targets for robbery) actually got 20-30, the statistical risk increases significantly.

Most people need to drive to get places, and most people need to shower (you could get away without doing either, but then you're more than likely a homeless person). Most people don't NEED to camp out overnight to get a new PS3 and scalp it on Ebay.

Nobody's "right" in this argument, it's all subjective. Clearly kumquat is of the opinion that the PS3 is very worthy. And clearly I am not. Oh well.

We veered pretty far off the OP anyway, which was basically valid. A major retailer having everyone wait in the parking lot and then suddenly announcing "come and get it!" is a bad idea and practically begging for someone to get hurt.
 
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