SC does not get what she does not have comming to her

[RebeccaOTool]

Best story ever. I must tell that to my BF who works at gamestop. They're getting a lot of Wii nuts at his place too...

[edible_hat]

The Wii was indeed a marketing masterstroke. They basically re-released the Gamecube with a new control system. (But of course the new control system makes it a hell of a lot more fun than the 360 or PS3)

[Chrono180]

Perhaps their next console will be bright green, and called a Pii?

Funny you should say that. Ctrl-at-del happened to have a similar joke a year or so ago right here:

http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comic.php?d=20060512
Granted, it's not bright green, but the joke still stands.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I am a techie (first computer Dragon 32) and a gamer (since 1955, and including the first issue of D&D in the UK) but I think joking about the name of the Wii will never get stale.

Weeeeee! "I'm off to the shops." "Why?" "I'm going for a Wii!"

At first I thought that it was a supremely stupid choice of name for a console, now I am beginning to suspect that it was a masterful marketing decision.

Plus it makes for fun contest names like Comedy Central's "ThanksGiveaway Wii-kend" last week.

[edible_hat]

Funny you should say that. Ctrl-at-del happened to have a similar joke a year or so ago right here:

http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comic.php?d=20060512
Granted, it's not bright green, but the joke still stands.

hah, I'm going to start refering to the PS3 as the Piii from now on. (It needs 3 i's because it's the ps 3)

[Bagga]

One MAJOR lesson that I want Sony and MS to assimilate from the success of the Wii is this:

Enough with the "improved graphics" already! Improve the gameplay instead!

I am so sick of beautiful games that take years to produce and have massive technical requirements but that are as much fun as sitting the finals exam in a subject that you have never studied. Oh yes, and they have exactly the same gameplay as every other game in the same genre, except that "OUR BFG IS TRIPLE-BARRELED" (or whatever)

Gaah, I hate FPS games. I have never forgiven Doom for killing off Ultima Underworld.

[Ree]

Playing devil's advocate a bit, not that I think the lady was behaving properly in any way, but you say the $10 reservation fee is to prove the customer is serious about picking it up.
I can understand that.
As the person who has to put back all the unclaimed "on hold" items that customers never bother to come in for, shaking my head at the fact that we could have sold it ten times over, I still say your friend and his store store were splitting hairs a bit over the $10 fee.
It was very obvious that she was serious about purchasing one, considering the number of times she asked about it, and the fact that she indicated she would be in for the one that your friend sold to you.

It would be different if the store had a long list of people waiting, but the fact that your friend called you to put down the deposit means he either bumped other people on the list or there was nobody else chomping at the bit for one, except for that one lady.

She was a whiner for not wanting to pay the deposit, but I think I would have sold it to her rather than get into a battle of wills and fight over the principle of the thing for $10.

I like to pick my battles, I guess.

[iradney]

What you say is true, Ree, but how many times have we complained about customers not wanting to follow store policy? Not to mention those that put something on laybye or reserve, and then don't pick it up?
Judging from the OP, if you wanted the Wii, it was store policy to book it, and pay the $10 fee upfront. It's not an extra $10 that you're paying, but if you don't show and pick it up, then you have potentially lost out on a sale, as someone else may have wanted it.

Not to mention that she was told when shipments were coming in, so if she wanted one she could come in when they arrive and just buy it then. She wasn't even willing to come in when the shipment came in, and just buy it "off the truck", so to speak...She was given another option, and didn't take it. They weren't exactly harping on the deposit, seems only if you were able to/wanted to pick up long after the delivery, then you'd need it.

[Geek King]

One MAJOR lesson that I want Sony and MS to assimilate from the success of the Wii is this:

Enough with the "improved graphics" already! Improve the gameplay instead!

I am so sick of beautiful games that take years to produce and have massive technical requirements but that are as much fun as sitting the finals exam in a subject that you have never studied. Oh yes, and they have exactly the same gameplay as every other game in the same genre, except that "OUR BFG IS TRIPLE-BARRELED" (or whatever)

Gaah, I hate FPS games. I have never forgiven Doom for killing off Ultima Underworld.

1) They don't have better gameplay, they have different gamplay. Wii opened up gaming to a whole new audience. This is good and bad. I'm still not playing Cooking Mama. Get me an RPG I can sink my teeth into and I'll think about buying one.

2) Miss Ultima Underworld? Pick up Oblivion on the PC, 360 or PS3. You'll be happy. Trust me.

[Dreamstalker]

Speaking of...

There's word that a sequal to Skies of Arcadia is in the works, and it is not a rumor. It really is in the works, below the radar for the moment. Glee!

It IS actually going to exist? Sweet (too bad it won't be made for DC, but oh well *still has and loves my Dreamcast*)

I'm waiting for the Ghostbusters game for the Wii. I can only hope that the developer will make full use of the controller's awesomeness (Wiimote that looks like a proton gun, anyone?)

[Imogene]

I distinctly remember one customer from my time at GameStop who came in, twenty minutes to close, asked if we have any Wiis in, was told "Uh, no." then proceeded to ask how he could tell if we did by just looking at the store. "Ha ha! Uh, no!" was my response. You seriously think we're going to place the highest-demanded console live on the floor? Only to have them walk out of the store. Yeah, one of us is a moron, or lazy here, you get one chance to figure out whom, and if you choose wrong, I can guarantee you'll never get a Wii in our store.

Or the best story I think I ever heard about the search fr the Wii, from a customer. Lady walks up to me, buys some token GC games, and tells me, "I just walked up to a register *somewhere* and asked if they had any Wiis, guy told me yes, and I bought it right out, some other customer in the store asked me how many stores I'd been to, and I said this was my first. So she asked me how many days I'd been searching, to which I said, this is my first. To which customer said, I think I hate you now."
I laughed my head off at her story.

[ArenaBoy]

It was very obvious that she was serious about purchasing one, considering the number of times she asked about it, and the fact that she indicated she would be in for the one that your friend sold to you.

It would be different if the store had a long list of people waiting, but the fact that your friend called you to put down the deposit means he either bumped other people on the list or there was nobody else chomping at the bit for one, except for that one lady.

She was a whiner for not wanting to pay the deposit, but I think I would have sold it to her rather than get into a battle of wills and fight over the principle of the thing for $10.

I once had a customer say the same thing along those lines to me when I was at Whiskeyclone. A customer complained that I had to give them a reserved spot. I always said No. Why? Because it wouldn't be fair to the person who PAID for that spot doesn't have a place to park because some idiot wanted to park there despite not having a pass.

The $10 fee in a way is a means of reserving it. Now seeing as the OP already paid the deposit and even though the lady idiot wanted it she didn't pay the fee. Now if the clerk were to give away the Wii to her despite her not paying a deposit it wouldn't be fair to the OP or to another person who actually called in and paid the fee without causing a fuss.

Point is, she wanted it but she didn't do what was required to get it. Basic concept of you snooze you lose.

[Captain Kidd]

Pick up Oblivion on the PC, 360 or PS3. You'll be happy. Trust me.

Ugh, sorry I can't agree. Morrowwind was great, Oblivion feels way dumbed down. Axes are blunt weapon? WTH? Monsters that level with you? So why level then?

But yeah, I'm holding off on getting the PS3 until there some real games that are something more than "ohh lookit the shiny graphics" and no gameplay. That and I'm broke.

[Ree]

if you don't show and pick it up, then you have potentially lost out on a sale, as someone else may have wanted it.

Yeah, but the odds of that happening seemed pretty slim, based on the number of times the lady was in.

Not to mention that she was told when shipments were coming in, so if she wanted one she could come in when they arrive and just buy it then.

Well, the lady came in at the same time as the OP to pick up the thing, so she didn't really hang around wasting time, either.

Now seeing as the OP already paid the deposit and even though the lady idiot wanted it she didn't pay the fee. Now if the clerk were to give away the Wii to her despite her not paying a deposit it wouldn't be fair to the OP or to another person who actually called in and paid the fee without causing a fuss.

Ah, but the thing is, there wasn't anybody else. The clerk deliberately called his buddy to put a deposit on his credit card over the phone, so, if there were others in line willing to pay a deposit, he was also jumping the line.

I really do understand the deposit requirement, as I said.
I just think it looked bad on the business. How many people will she tell?

(Sorry...just can't get out of retail 'manager' mode at times. I had customer service drilled into my head too many times.)

[theredbaron47]

I just think it looked bad on the business. How many people will she tell?

And how many of the same people she tells will tell her she's an idiot for not paying the $10 hold fee? It's not like that's a new concept.

I have to agree with the OP, that lady was a whiny idiot. Especially when dealing with an item as hot as the Wii, you'd think she would be a little more savvy about how things work with it.

You snooze, you lose, lady.