Jason Dunn
11-22-2005, 08:12 PM
Ok, the bad news first: I only managed to get a Core system, not the Premium like I wanted to get. How did that happen you might ask? Well, here's the sordid tale. See, back in September I pre-ordered with a local vendor (Compusmart). Future Shop, the big-box electronics store up here, was doing 10 pre-orders per day, but I kept missing them, so I decided to pre-order a Premium Xbox 360 from Compusmart. I was suspicious of them though because they weren't placing any limits, which meant they likely sold far more than they had in stock. They weren't able to tell me their stock levels until yesterday when I discovered that I was #41 in line (good!) but they were only getting 25 in stock (bad!). They couldn't promise me they were getting in any more before Christmas, so I went to plan "B", which was to line up at a local store, the most obscure one I could find that was carrying the 360. There's a chain in Canada called Zellers (think Target, only more ghetto), and they were getting both the Premium and Core systems in, so I figured I'd give it a try. Here's the time line:<br /><br /><b>2:00 AM:</b> Wake up, sit on side of bed confused. Realize it's not yet time. Go back to sleep. Will regret that later.<br /><br /><b>5:30 AM:</b> Wake up for real this time, jump out of bed and into the shower.<br /><br /><b>6:45 AM:</b> Makes it to Zellers. I walk in and see eight people in line in front of me. I'm #9. The guy at the front yells "You're probably getting a Core system!" I hope he's not right. Store management comes out now and then, claim they don't know how many units they have, or what accessories.<!><br /><br /><b>7:30 AM:</b> The manager comes out and starting at the front of the line asks which unit the person wants and gives them a piece of paper with a number. The first five people all want Premium (of course). To the sixth person he says "We only have Core systems left now". <b>WHAT?? AUGH!! They only have FIVE Premiums? NOOO!!! @(*#&@)(#*@(#@</b> So now I'm stuck with the Core system. :(<br /><br /><b>7:40 AM:</b> Doing the math in my head and discussing the predicament with the people in line in with me. Buying the Core system is a complete screw-job from Microsoft because the parts sold separately are much more expensive than the $100 price difference between Core and Premium.<br /><br /><b>7:43 AM:</b> Several people come into the store over the next few minutes, once they're told only Core systems are left, they all leave. No one wants the Core system, everyone wants Premium.<br /><br /><b>7:52 AM:</b> Find out that the last guy to get the Premium system was here at 5:30 AM, so if I would have gotten out of bed at 2 AM when I woke up, I would have gotten one for sure. Should have trusted my Jedi pre-cognition powers. Damn.<br /><br /><b>8:00 AM:</b> We all shuffle into the store and line up at the counter like good, polite Canadians. All hope is crushed when we see they really do only have five Premium systems. They have six games, none of which are the ones I want. They have no wireless controller, no hard drive, no component cables...zero accessories I want. I mentally curse their product ordering person. I verbally curse Microsoft for releasing a high-definition video gaming console and putting meagre composite cables in the box I buy.<br /><br /><b>8:20 AM:</b> I go to E&B games in the same mall, thinking I can get the accessories I want there. Some guy comes to the door with a list and asks for my name. I tell him I'm not on his list, I just want some accessories. He tells me it's a private launch event and I need to come back at 10 AM.<br /><br /><b>8:35 AM:</b> I go to Future Shop looking for accessories. They're picked clean, nothing left. Turns out they didn't receive a single hard drive in stock. I do manage to find a wireless controller though, along with Call of Duty 2.<br /><br /><b>8:45 AM:</b> I go to the Wal-Mart in the same mall, hoping maybe they'll have something. I pick up Kong, but that's it - they have no hard drives, or any component cables.<br /><br /><b>9:07 AM:</b> I drive over to another Wal-Mart to look for accessories, and they have nothing. They don't even have a single <i>game</i> in stock any more.<br /><br /><b>9:26 AM:</b> I return home, defeated. I'm just not used to having to try so hard to get the technology that I want. I have an Xbox 360, yes, but I don't have the hard drive, so I can't play any old games, and I can't even get HD output from the damn thing! I'm so ticked off at the whole situation I don't even open the box up yet.<br /><br /><b>9:45 AM:</b> I resort to calling Wal-Marts in small towns near Calgary, desperately seeking a hard drive, component cables, or even a Premium bundle. No luck.<br /><br />Up next, the cost of going Core - it will make you weep!