Toys R Us Pre-Order Day!

So I arrived just before 7am at my local (30 minutes away) Toys R Us store, only to find the most hardcore of consumers already camped out with tents, chairs, blankets and the like on the sidewalk in front of the store. I was lucky number 13 in line, which I was half-expecting, and half disappointed to discover. Although the desire for these two consoles burned strongly within my heart, I was simply unequipped for late October camping in upstate New York (plus, I already have a Wii and Zelda preordered at EB). What I could do was wake up at 6:00 and get on the road, managing an average of about 85 mph to this conveniently located store. I was quite glad to avoid New York's finest on the way.

Shortly after my arrival, I was told that a handful of people had been camping out as early as 6pm on Saturday, only to be kicked off the premises around 1am. Security from the mall across the parking lot had evicted them from their cozy concrete homes, and the store director had taken thew names of the first six in line, telling them to return before 7:00 to guarantee their console.

I guess this turned out to be a good thing for them, because rain, wind, and utter frigidness attacked the night, as well as any hapless nocturnal wanderers. Moreover, it was REALLY good news for those people because this particular store had only SIX PS3s available, along with 15 Wii Systems. 13/15...I sure do know how to cut it close.


When it came time to let us in, I was very pleased with the organization of the 'event.' In a compassionate move, they allowed the first six iced-over customers into the store around 9:30 - a half-hour before opening time - to get their PS3 orders. They were let back on line, and Wii customers were ushered in five at a time. Everything went quite smoothly, with no rushing, pushing, or violence. The only annoyance was that Toys R Us had each pre-order customer sign an agreement that they would also purchase an insurance plan of either $39.99 for one year or $69.99 for two years at the time of pick-up, or else forfeit the reservation. Irritating...

Finally, I was in for a little surprise, because today also happened to be the day that the new Tickle Me Elmo arrived. Thinking in an eBay sort of way, I decided to grab one of them, too. After the video games were taken care of, Elmo customers came in 15 at a time, with a one-per-customer limit.

So, I managed to leave Toys R Us this morning with one Wii preorder, and THREE TMX Elmos...