Went to the local Toys 'R' Us store today looking for a Webkinz for my daughter. While I was here, I checked to see if they had the Wii in stock & to my surprise, they did. In fact, they told me they had about a 100 of them. I was psyched, but since I had left $70 in gift cards at home, I asked if they could put one aside for me and was told no. I went home, but went to mass before heading back to the store and, of course, when I got here, they were all sold out. Just my luck! Yea, it put me in a bad mood and I started to leave a little cranky.
But then they told me there were a bunch on the truck in the loading dock, and I thought there was hope. But I forgot that I was at a retail store where the processes are more important then the needs of the guests.
You see, the truck won't be unloaded until the evening and then they thought the Wii's are always at the back of the truck. Maybe that's a security precaution so they don't get stolen. But, since they wouldn't be unloaded until the evening, the only thing they could offer me was to come back tomorrow (Sunday) morning at least an hour before the store opened and see if I could buy one then.
Why couldn't I just pay for it now?, I asked thinking that would be good for both of us. They'd get the money and I'd get my Wii. Our corporate office won't let us I was told in the usual manner of a store employee who doesn't really care one way or the other. And you know, maybe there is a good reason, but in my crankiness, I don't see it. Making people wait in line the next day when you know you have the items in the store is more annoying then finding out they were sold out.
I was mad at myself when I thought I missed the opportunity to buy it. Knowing they're rationing them and making me get here at 7 or 8 in the morning to wait on line to buy one at 9 am makes me mad at them. They take pre-orders on popular software titles coming out, why won't they let you pay in advance when they're in the store?
But, I can't just be cranky at TRU. Hey Nintendo, make some more of the damn things. It's been a freakin' year already and you still can't seem to get your production running right. And if you're holding them out on purpose, don't wait to long. If the EyeToy catches on or there are some copycat Wii's that start getting made, you'll lose out. And when people hve a choice to make, they may just remember how badly you treated us when you were the king of the hill. Get off your ass and start manufacturing to meet demand already.
That's my report for the night. Hopefully we'll get one tomorrow, but it won't make me like Toys 'R' Us any better.
I have been there TOO MANY TIMES!!!
Unfortunately it is like this with many of the "new" hot toys. As you pointed out, it is rediculous that Nintendo is still treating this product as new.
That being said, I had this issue with another hot toy at Target earlier this year. When I asked a store manager why they kept telling me the item was on the loading dock, I was told that this was a retail tactic. If you come back you might buy something else.
I never went back.
Posted by: jonb | November 04, 2007 at 02:43 PM