TRU Wii Presale Part Two (Confirmed for 11/12, from the TRU Weekly Ad)

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Sofa King Cheap

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Edit: Confirmed by TRU employees here on the board.

Courtesy of member Britana from:

http://www.dealcatcher.com/forums/m_441540/tm.htm

DC5960B183334F828C7EC57665015D99.jpg


(wonders if PS3 is in the same ad...)
 
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[quote name='Tybee']Lest you forget, we're in God's Country. :roll:[/quote]Roll your eyes all you want. I like the Bible Belt. =P



Anyway. Slept in, played hookie from Sunday School and got to the Douglasville TRU at around 10:00. There were two folks ahead of me, one gentleman got there at 07:30, one lady at 08:30.

At around 10:15 the manager came out to us and we put our names on a piece of paper to indicate our position in line. I asked if I could grab two pre-orders (one for me, one for Tybee) and was told "no."

At around 10:30 he came out again to check on us, and there were now a whopping seven people waiting. I asked if there were under the magic number 14 (how many pre-sells they were doing) if I could go to the back of the line and grab that second pre-order. He looked at me smirked and said, "we'll see."

Another 15 minutes later, he comes out again and our line is about nine. However those last two were just people wanting to get into TRU and had been talked into pre-ordering a Wii by the rest of us, including one TRU employee who took the day off so he could stand in line to get his pre-order. I asked my familiar question and was given a silent nod.

Just before 11am, he comes out to check and make sure we matched our names to list and that no one was unruly or out of place (which was funny, I at 33 years old was probably the youngest person there). We then conga-lined through the store to the Rzone. I gots my pre-order, then went to the back of the line for Tybee's pre-order.

woot. yay. gloat.



Speaking of launches. That TRU is getting a massive SIX ps3's for Friday. And no idea of date or time for a second shipment. Glad I've got mine pre-ordered at EB.
 
After telling me point blank on the phone last night they would not be doing preorders today, I decided to head down anyway. Lo and behold.....they were!

I was the 6th person in line at 8:55AM. Toys R Us opened at 9AM, so I only had to wait in line for 5 minutes to get my Wii! :)

I only had to wait 45min for my PS3 preorder at EB and was the first in line.

This is going to be a GREAT week!!!!
 
Went to TRU at 9am....i was 6th in line. 10 mins later, someone from the store came out and gave us all the pre-order slips. Score!!!!!
 
alright now. i just returned..was 5 out of 7..and i got there about 20 mins before 11.

I eneded up getting zelda and metal slug ..as well as a two year service plan.

Usually i refuse the service plans but i was thinking the controller might be prone to breaking..and its an additional two years after the warranty expires..


anyway anyone know if there will be deals on games during first week, bundles, promos, or should i just bite it and pay msrp?
 
I read this yesterday and called 3 different TRU's and they all told me that it was a rumor!! So I decided to sleep in. I woke up and read that people were getting pre-orders and called the closest TRU immediately. This time they said they were doing them, it was now 10:03(store opens at 10) and it takes 30 minutes to get there, so I hauled ass. The parking lot was full when I got there about 10:36, but they were all old people and parents. I walked briskly in and was told to see the man in the black shirt. I go and he hands me a pre-order card. I pre-ordered the Wii and Zelda. Now I'm very happy I waited on the bundles. Lesson to be learned: don't trust what any employees say about a pre-order until the day of.
 
[quote name='Aconitic']

anyway anyone know if there will be deals on games during first week, bundles, promos, or should i just bite it and pay msrp?[/quote]
On the back of the pre-order card it says buy three of the following games and save $30 on 11/19-11/25.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Tony Hawk Downhill Jam
Spongebob Creature from Krusty Krab
Avatar The Last Airbender
Metal Slug Anthology
Call of Duty 3
Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz
Trauma Center: Second Opinion
 
Went to toys are us, no one showed up until 15 min before they opened. Very easy to get one, no problems, not really a wait.. crazy
 
[quote name='Aconitic']alright now. i just returned..was 5 out of 7..and i got there about 20 mins before 11.

I eneded up getting zelda and metal slug ..as well as a two year service plan.

Usually i refuse the service plans but i was thinking the controller might be prone to breaking..and its an additional two years after the warranty expires..[/QUOTE]

How much was the plan?
 
When I got to Toys R Us, there were a lot of people waiting in their cars. I just got up to the entrance and was automatically first in line XD
Thank you CAG!

Oh, and here's a picture I took when I LEFT the line (my friend got one for me at another store lol)

CIMG0865.jpg
 
I got one! Also the manager told all of us is that you can buy any 3 games on launch day with a system and get $30 off. It doesn't need to be the games on the back of the card. I got Zelda, Excite Truck and Trauma Center. All of them say in store 11/21 and not 11/19, but I was told they should all be there on for launch.
 
I decided to swing by one this morning at 9:45am...

I rolled up just as the lady was handing out tickets. I managed to snag the _last_ one. My buddy showed up 5 mins later but it was too late :(

I still think there will be plenty of Wiis come launch and up to Christmas... it's just too bad/lame since the PS2 launch it appears that console demand outpaces supply.

edit: Big ups to the CAGs who got the word out. Thanks.
 
Something I just remembered from when I worked at Best Buy during the Xbox 360 launch is to sometimes never believe what store employees tell you.

At Best Buy, for example, the employees knew ahead of time when a shipment of Xbox 360 where coming in, when they were selling them, how many they had, and how many they had to sell. It was the policy of the store not to release any of that information to the customers. So a good rule of thumb is it doesn't hurt to second guess what an employee tells you.
 
noon, TRU Middle Village, Queens NY (by the Metro Mall / Kmart), I went in there expecting them to be sold out, but I asked the lady and she said that's the last one in R Zone but they have a few more in Customer Service front desk.

im happy, i didn't preorder zelda, they have like 30 tickets there, it says expected date 11/21, if they dont have it on launch date im not going to go back there to grab just the game, hopefully they have the game when i pick mine up next week.

thanks CAG. i love this forum :D
 
I've come to the conclusion that Toys R Us is trying to generate more buzz and a feeling of want by doing limited pre-orders. Why not just preorder your whole allotment instead of 10-20 units at a time? This will make the people who do not get a preorder even want the Wii more.
 
Well, I might go check on TRU even though they are probably all gone now though.

So far I have missed out on every pre-order.......guess thats what happens when u work from 5am till 1pm. argh....
 
Looks like evry Soccer Mom in that city showed up. ;P

[quote name='PRGuitarman']When I got to Toys R Us, there were a lot of people waiting in their cars. I just got up to the entrance and was automatically first in line XD
Thank you CAG!

Oh, and here's a picture I took when I LEFT the line (my friend got one for me at another store lol)

CIMG0865.jpg
[/quote]
 
[quote name='Dr Mario Kart']Got one in South Austin. Someone came out and handed out tickets just moments before the store opened and there was actually one more reserve than there were people! 13 or 15 I believe.[/QUOTE]
I was the guy that came in the black olds right after the confused asian lady wasn't waiting in line for a Wii.
 
I went to a TRU before it opened, but I didn't hang around to pre-order. I only stopped by since I was in the area, and thought I'd check it out. The store is about 30 minutes away from me and I don't want to go that far on release day. I'd rather get to the WalMart that's about 8 minutes away from me a few hours early and get one there. Not only is it closer, but TRU isn't going to open at midnight to let people pick their system up, and WalMart will let you have them at 12am sharp.

There was a woman in her 40's at the TRU I went to, but I have no idea if she was there for the Wii, and then a guy about my age who I'm pretty sure was there for the Wii. I was there around 30 minutes before opening at the latest (it opened at 1:30), so it didn't look to have a line there. I'm pretty sure I could drive right back and pre-order there if I wanted to. I know that the store in Greenville had one pre-order left for anyone as late as two hours after they opened.
 
I went around 8:30 this morning and was #18 in line. Store had 20 preorder and got myself one. Thank you CAG!:bouncy:
 
Yay i got mine today. I got there at 10:30 (store opens at 11:00) and was 1st in line. They had 15 total preorders and by 11:00 there was probably about 10 in line. Preordered zelda, excite truck, and red steel!
 
Swung by Altoona PA TRU at about 9 and there was one boy and his mom. Waited it out with three pals and we each got a wii-order and zelda.

What better way to commemorate a new system than by the purchase of outdated merch? More shopping ensued, and led to:

Sears:
Sprung DS $2.97
Geist GC $5

Gamestop:
Killer 7 $10

Circuit City:
GBA Micro case $1.97

It was videogame day! Then there was the ritual consumoption of rice balls and sushi at Yamato's nearby. Can't wait for next weekend. We don't even need systems, but are planning a picnic for Target launch day to buy games. There may be cheese and wine, and I'm fairly certain that my rubenesque friend Joe will be in a tuxedo. Will provide vids.
 
We went into town at 7:00am in salinas CA and no one was there so we went out to breakfast (kind of planned on this being the case) and came back at about 8:30 where one person was waiting, so we got out and sat down (being cali it was plenty warm). Few more people showed up... about 12 in all tops... our TRU had 20 preorders and so of course they had at least 8 left so there wasn't any point in waiting in line at all...

i just hope they hold it tell the end of the day on the 19 cuz damn it if i don't have an appointment i can't miss at 10 and they open at 10
 
[quote name='auralia']i just hope they hold it tell the end of the day on the 19 cuz damn it if i don't have an appointment i can't miss at 10 and they open at 10[/QUOTE]

It says you have to pick it up by the end os 11/20.
 
Got there 20 minutes before opening. As I was pulling into the parking lot, I noticed a line of about 15 people waiting. I also saw another car pulling in right after me. I hopped out, and darted up to the line. Seconds later, the next person showed up behind me. Less than a minute later, there were 5 more people behind me in line. Waited in line for about 10 minutes, when the manager came out, and started handing out tickets. The stack he had was rather small, so I was getting a bit worried. He handed out all of the tickets, and I managed to snag the very last one. Had I been there 15 seconds later I would have missed this.
 
Arrived promptly at 9am for opening at my local TRU and saw about a dozen people wating for the doors to to open. Alas, everyone who walked in was turned away since the reservations were given out at 6am today...
 
Got mine along with Zelda, Trauma Center, and Rayman.

Got there an hour early and even people that JUST showed up got one. I wound up educating all the moms in line about it.

Any midnight launches at TRU for this?
 
told my friend to go to the same store i did, middle village, Queens NY, and he managed to grab the last one. he should thank me cuz he was planning to camp out for the wii (Which i thought was unnecessary)
 
[quote name='gizmogc']Got mine along with Zelda, Trauma Center, and Rayman.[/QUOTE]
You have good taste; those are the three games I plan to get, too.
 
Got my pre-order too this morning. I arrived just before 7am. I was number 8 in line. They handed out the tickets just before their 9am opening. They had 15 pre-orders available and pretty much everyone who got there by 8am got a ticket. There were quite a few disappointed people that did not make the cut.

They told me I had to pick up the Wii next Sunday or they would sell it to someone else. Does anyone know if TRU is opening at midnight on the 19th or do I need to wait until the next morning.
 
[quote name='slay65'] Does anyone know if TRU is opening at midnight on the 19th or do I need to wait until the next morning.[/QUOTE]

My toys r us isn't doing a midnight launch
 
[quote name='doc005']My toys r us isn't doing a midnight launch[/quote]Their is only one the one in Nyc. I don't think anyone else.
 
[quote name='ViolentLee']You have good taste; those are the three games I plan to get, too.[/QUOTE]

I think those will the 3 for me too . . . TC, Zelda, and Rayman (previews look promising) . . . maybe COD3.
 
Just called TRU in Gainesville, FL. They're not accepting preorders. The whole preorder ad does not show up in the weekly ad in Gainesville either.:cry:
 
Guys for the last time...Have I ever been wrong????? To answer an earlier question about why we do not preorder our entire allotment...then we would not be able to put the Wii on the front page of next week's ad....For those that did not get a preorder you WILL still have a shot at one on the 19th. The question is how long are you willing to freeze for it??????????
 
Thanks SREN9. Got my Wii preorder in today with Zelda, and all it took was waiting for four hours in line! There were about thirty people in line in front of the Toy's R Us in Albuquerque, and about half of them got turned away. It was heartbreaking seeing the one person that was only one place away from a Wii preorder getting turned away. However, they DID show up only 15 minutes early.
 
[quote name='sren9']Guys for the last time...Have I ever been wrong????? [/QUOTE]
Yeah, I'm pretty sure you have. You've also posted a good deal of speculative information in the past.
 
[quote name='cheshcatalyst']Thanks SREN9. Got my Wii preorder in today with Zelda, and all it took was waiting for four hours in line! There were about thirty people in line in front of the Toy's R Us in Albuquerque, and about half of them got turned away. It was heartbreaking seeing the one person that was only one place away from a Wii preorder getting turned away. However, they DID show up only 15 minutes early.[/QUOTE]

Only 4 hours?! I only had to wait 3 hours for my ps3 preorder lol. for the wii it shouldnt take more than an hour.
 
Maybe this thing won't be quite as difficult to acquire at launch as I've anticipated. Then again, people apparently weren't really privy to this information like their first round of preorders. Either way, congrats to those that secured their Wii with minimal effort and won't have to find out firsthand just how long the wait will be on the 19th.

I still think quite a few gamers will get burnt by their overestimating shipment numbers and underestimating local consumer interest. It happens every launch.
 
i was able to talk to a Toys R US manager while waiting in line today, he basically told me they were instructed not to advertise the Pre-Sale at all (at least in this region). There was chaos a couple of weeks ago at the initial presale directly caused by the Wii (not the ps3 or tickle me elmo). They had to call the cops 3x in 9 hours. He said the 19th is going to be CHAOS and that demand for the Wii is higher than they expected.

again this could only be for my area but it looks like in some markets the Wii is going to be a VERY hot item.
 
At Guinavere's urging, I took my chances this morning and drove to the nearest TRU (Tucker, GA). Got there around 9:30 (store opens at 11:00) and was the only one there. It was chilly, so I sat in the car and read until around 10:30, when the doors were cracked and I noticed a couple people going in.

Inside I found another 30-something gentleman (with this week's ad in his hand) conversing with the store manager at the customer service desk. The manager was saying, "The system won't be for sale until NEXT Sunday." I joined in, explaining that we were there for PRE-orders. He said that they had already done pre-orders and they weren't sure if they were doing any more, but he would check. I have to give him props, because he seemed confused, but totally courteous and dedicated to helping us. About this time two Japanese college students showed up, also looking for Wiis. The four of us hung out for about 30 mins while the manager and several employees scurried around, made phone calls, and worked the computers, trying to figure out what was going on. While we waited, they briefed us on the numbers from the previous round of preorders: 5 PS3's and only 6 Wii's were available that day. That surprised me and made me very glad I didn't bother turning out for that debacle.

First, they took our names, addresses, and phone numbers and said if nothing else they would use that to ensure we would have systems held on launch day. A little bit later they said they had 10 preorders to dole out. Then the gaming department manager ran over and said he found the new preorder slips (which had been delivered by a regional rep that very morning). They had five, so the four of us felt pretty lucky. They marched us over there and we put our $50 down and got our golden tickets. :D

To those of you dissing TRU employees/managers in this: Go easy. I honestly think the vast majority did not get briefed very well on this. They weren't deliberately lying to you when they said there weren't any more preorders.

Also, mega props to Gwen, who waited in line twice to make sure she got a second Wii just for 'lil 'ol me. Whatta doll. Don't you wish she lived near you? ;)
 
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