THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION APPLIES ONLY TO HAWAII GAMESTOP AND SOFTWARE ETC. STORES
I just got off the phone with the store that I got the flyer from, and he told me that this pre-order stuff only applies to Hawaii - for now.
Please note that this doesn't mean its not going to happen in your area. This seems to be a test run of a new pre-order system in order to find out whether or not to deploy it nationwide when the rest of the US stores start the pre-order process.
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Today I went out set on selling a bunch of games at GameStop for that $10 bonus. Am I glad I didn't do any of that.
I hold in my hand a flyer that contains the information regarding GameStop's Wii (and PS3) pre-order process. I have to say that I am not pleased by this process, but am still glad I finally know when and how to pre-order my Wii at GameStop.
Here are a few shots of the flyer itself, and extended details are available below it.
Poster/flyer - minimal lighting, no flash.
The GameStop printed out a list of upcoming games and information for me.
GAMESTOP HAWAII PRE-ORDER DETAILS
The following information is based on the flyer that I recieved from the GameStop that I visited, and also based on the conversation that I had with the GameStop employee.
GameStop will start accepting pre-orders for the PS3/Wii on
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 18.
This will last for ONE WEEK only, and this currently only applies to stores located in Hawaii. Any store can and will stop taking pre-orders at any time (most likely when their pre-order allotment has been reached). I have been advised (and I advise you) to go to the store on Monday and get your pre-order in, or do so as soon as possible.
GameStop is NOT ACCEPTING cash, or store credit for your down payment on a pre-order. You
HAVE to trade in games or accessories when you pre-order. It must total at least $50, and it will all go towards your system pre-order. After the $50, you can put down cash or whatever to cover the rest of the payment (or simply leave it at $50 and pay the rest later).
This applies for both the Wii and the PS3.
Any promotions on game trade-ins active during your pre-order transaction can be used toward this pre-order stuff. That means that you can take advantage of the "
Trade 3 Get an Extra $10" offer currently being held at GameStop. Details and restrictions about this promotional offer (and other promotional offers) are available on the page linked. Additional details on this offer can be found on the topic here on CAG.
You are
GUARANTEED to get a Wii, but the date you get it
IS NOT GUARANTEED (he specifically told me that you are not guaranteed to get your system on launch or anytime during the Christmas season). That means if you pre-order, you'll get a Wii/PS3, if not at launch or Christmas, then eventually.
Stores are going to give out launch systems based on chronological pre-order order. That means if you are the first one to pre-order/reserve your Wii, you will be the first one to get a Wii on launch day.
Reservations are limited to 1 per household.
If you want to know what exactly the text says at the bottom of the flyer, here it is: "Cash or Store Credit will not be accepted. Reservations of the PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii are limited to one (1) reservation/purchase per household."
And the text near the GameStop logo at the bottom: "All trades must be in working condition and are subject to manager approval. As GameStop cannot control production and shipping issues by the manufacturer, the reservation deposit will only gurantee a spot in line when the PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii becomes available. The reservation deposit does not guarantee reciept of a system available to purchase by Christmas."
QUICK QUESTIONS
I asked the employee I was talking to a few questions. He seemed to know what he was talking about, as he elaborated quite a bit and we talked for a good 15 minutes on the topic.
Q: Why is the pre-order process being done this way?
A: GameStop is trying to be more cautious and is trying to plan out the pre-order process better. This is an attempt at a different way of handling pre-orders. They say that they take in a large amount of pre-order money and when products launch, many people don't actually pick up their pre-order. That means GameStop has to continually keep track of these unclaimed pre-orders, and that incurs costs. Its a way to keep down costs, and at the same time, its a way for you to actually keep your money in case you do not pick up your system (because your pre-order money is converted basically into store credit).
Q: Will you have lots of Wii accessories (controllers, etc.) on hand for launch.
A: Yes.
Q: Will you open at midnight?
A: It depends. Some stores may, and others might not. My particular store is trying to open at midnight, but its slightly more difficult since its located in a closed mall.
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So that's the information I've been given. This is no way is meant to be an official announcement, or to seem official in any way. I've simply been given some information, and I feel this is of enough importance to alert CAG and the consumer.
A side note: I did not specifically ask for information about the PS3 (although the employee attempted to get me to move to that topic, haha). With that being said, both the Wii and PS3 are part of the same pre-order process, and because they are being jointly advertised on the given flyer, I assume that pre-order details are fairly similar.
Really, the best way to find out the whole story would be to call your local GameStop. Though to be honest, I've called numerous stores, numerous times since Nintendo announced the launch details, and they continously told me that they had no information. It was only today (being Friday September 15) on my visit to the store did I see all the posters and information available. I assume that means that some stores haven't got the information, or haven't shared any of it and are preparing to.
I hope this helps lots of you. I post this not to get everyone angry at GameStop, but to simply inform you of what's going on with their pre-order process. Knowing is half the battle. Evidently the other half involves finding $50 worth of stuff to trade in. XD
I'll be up bright and early on Monday pre-ordering a Wii. I wish everyone else good luck, and I again encourage everyone to call their local store for all the info.
My personal reaction on this tactic: I hope that this does not become a trend (this being the trade-in to pre-order system). It was a complete surprise to me, and definitely made me mad. I even told the employee that a lot of people probably won't be happy, and that I was one of them.
This also kind of hinders Nintendo's mission to expand gaming to people who do not play games. I know we aren't going to see many Grandmas and Grandpas in launch lines, but because of this pre-order system, we won't see any of them. Chances are they don't have games to trade in, probably not enough to reach the $50 prerequisite. GameStop is basically saying, "n00bs go away". No Wii, at least not at a launch and not at GameStop.
Also, while there are some obviously big downsides to this method, there are also some positive things. One of them being the fact that this will prevent lots of people from pre-ordering from GameStop, which leaves lots of systems for you and me.
Oh, the employee also printed me out a list of Wii games. They have the names, anticipated shipping dates, and the prices for these games. If people want that, I can take a picture or type out the information too.
I will keep this post as up to date as possible with any new information, pictures, whatever. Though I assume that soon enough people will start to get their own flyers, pictures, and information.
And just for the record, this is the first and original post about the information. You heard it first here at CAG. XD
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CONFIRMATION
GameSpot -
http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=24993601
GoNintendo -
http://gonintendo.com/?p=5689
GAF -
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=119592&page=7
Me - I called the GameStop that I got the flyer from on Saturday morning and they told me that this was specific to Hawaii only.
Of course here on CAG as well, spread throughout this thread. Other members have called the Hawaii stores or have confirmed it with other employees, others have now pre-ordered it as well, and FINALLY someone else in Hawaii has a camera and took a picture of the thank you card.
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A FINAL NOTE: I will repeat that I never said this was official, or meant this to be an official nationwide announcement. As the beginning of this post has always started (or rather, used to state), I'm not aware if this is a nationwide trend or not (and we have learned that it currently
IS NOT). I do live in Hawaii, and therefore this could only be in my region. This is basically a small scale test of this new pre-ordering method. That means that if this test succeeds in Hawaii, it could possibly take effect nationwide. Suffice to say, I still think this is important information, and everyone should know about it.
Pray that you won't have to do your pre-order this way, because it really sucks. As for me, I'll bite the bullet and see what happens.
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I now have successfully pre-ordered a Wii at GameStop.
As a side note, the Internet ate my bandwidth, hence why some of the pictures are now broken. I re-uploaded some of them to Flickr.
them!!!
#. J/K
