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Gamestop Cancelling Wii U Waiting List (retroactively)
- Thread starter grimshawish
- Start date
Because gamestop is fucking impatient. All they want/see is instant profits. That's all they want. When they have Wii Us sitting in their stores, that aren't being sold because they're there for wait list people, all they see is "omg! why are these wii us sitting here! we could be selling these!" even though they offered to put people on these wait lists, in hopes of getting them back into the store and buy them. But when these people dont show up INSTANTLY to buy their wait list Wii Us, gamestop freaks out.
This. They are the worst company to preorder from. They also took more preorders than they could fill for the PS3. If you don't get in before their friends & family, you may as well be farting in the wind, and wishing on it, to reserve your system.
Phanatic8390
Member
That happened to me the other day. I got added to the wait list and the guy never picked it up. By the time they called a few hours later I had walked into a store a town over and bought one.
It's gotta be hard to turn away paying customers standing in your store.
bumpkin
Member
We hit some stores in mid to late afternoon on Black Friday, and we saw both basic and deluxe sets in stock at places like Best Buy and Toys R Us. Now mind you, I don't live in a big city or a heavily populated area -- by comparison to say someplace like LA or Boston -- but stuff that is in demand does sell. Clearly either retailers were prepared or people were more interested in discounted 360's, Vitas, PS3s, etc.
Steve Youngblood
Member
Realistically, I would assume that maintaining a waitlist is largely impractical, and is why no other store does it at all. You dismiss it, but an item sitting in the back for someone who may or may not ever show up to claim it is problematic. Further, I imagine it becomes more impractical when shipping logistics dictate that how many units are coming in and when that will happen leave a lot to question.
If I'm legitimately interested enough to want one when the next shipment comes in or whenever and have them take my name, I'm probably also interested enough in the system to buy one from somewhere else if I find one there first.
Steve Youngblood
Member
I honestly don't think that this is an example of fiendish GameStop practices.
DeaconKnowledge
Member
The bigger problem is that people see what they want to see.
Yeah, to be fair, there's probably a ton of people that signed up for that GameStop wait list. It was free to do so. A lot of those people were probably able to find their U elsewhere. So now GameStop is calling down a largely useless list, probably being greeted on the phone with "we already have one." Cancelling their list entirely is terrible customer service though.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
They're cancelling the wait lists because they're sitting on their store shelves. Both models have been easily available at my local Gamestops.
Steve Youngblood
Member
Sure. I'm just saying that we need not get carried away with dismissing anecdotal evidence as completely useless. It's just useless when one attempts to extrapolate out based on limited evidence and reach definitive conclusions. But there's nothing inherently wrong with reaching some tentative conclusion based on firsthand evidence. Confidence in that conclusion just needs to be tempered pending hard numbers.
dragonflys545
Member
I saw one gamestop had a game adviser outside with a Wii U box to tempt people into buying a Wii U.
DeaconKnowledge
Member
You are correct. Though I will say that most musings are tainted from the getgo - wherever your bias lies is what you're going to see. Using the aforementioned PS3 example, people who wanted the PS3 to do well will be more receptive to the PS3 skus being sold. Similarly, people apathetic to the console will see the opposite.
that's the problem with this Wii U launch, and frankly all console launches. You will have people who for whatever reason are hot, lukewarm or cold to the system, and the anecdotal evidence will taint their opinion thusly. One anecdotal account can be interpreted many different ways depending on who's reading it, and everyone's account is different.
I feel the best way to interpret anecdotal evidence is to establish a reason the masses are seeing what they're seeing, say, high shipments per week or a price slash. While it's no more accurate. It's a little bit more fruitful than "success!" or "bomba".
Sexually Aggressive Uncle
Member
Seriously. I could go over to my nearest Target and pick one up right now if I wanted to. I don't think they ever ran out.
gamergirly
Member
I have a feeling several core gamers jumped on the list to scalp
Wiiu is selling like GameCube. If you want one walk into a store and buy one. Even the EB/gamestops here all have stock, a majority of stores never sold out despite the pr spin trying to hype the slow sales.
I imagine GameStop getting rid of wait lists is to avoid sitting stock and to force more people to stop by the stores hoping they'll buy something else in the process.
I imagine GameStop getting rid of wait lists is to avoid sitting stock and to force more people to stop by the stores hoping they'll buy something else in the process.
In my area some people were making fake ads on classified sites selling wiiu for retail or near retail prices. Forces scalpers to lower prices.
IHaveCandy
Banned
It's not a reservation. And I don't know if this is a GameStop initiative or just what a lot of managers are doing. We are still calling our Wait list, but they have to commit to picking it up the day of or after the call to get it.Anyone can take a reservation, but you have to hold the reservation
popsicle_sundays
Member
I walked into a busy Gamestop today and grabbed the Deluxe without issues 
Projectjustice
Banned
Its funny how so many posters are saying they are everywhere unsold. Perhaps hey were unsold at the moment you were at the store but after you leave you have no idea whats actually happening with the stock. Which explains why people have to search around for them at different stores cause so many places are sold out.
Now that's awesome.
Dion Blaster
Member
The waitlist seemed pretty flimsy to begin with. They basically wrote my name down on a piece of paper.
metalslimer
Member
Gaf anecdotal evidence is probably the most unreliable thing I've ever seen. If I didn't know any better I would think the Wii U had sold 50k.
It's not that they don't think the Wii-U can't sell well... they think it shouldn't sell well is the difference.
Gamestop scammed a bunch of people into buying their $15 pro card to get on this waiting list IMO. Then they cancelled the list...
I put my name on their waiting list (already had a card). But they never called me. Instead I walked into my local gamestop this Saturday, and they just sold me a Wii U. No questions asked. No concern about the waiting list. Nothing. But I got one.
I put my name on their waiting list (already had a card). But they never called me. Instead I walked into my local gamestop this Saturday, and they just sold me a Wii U. No questions asked. No concern about the waiting list. Nothing. But I got one.
Steve Youngblood
Member
To be fair, anecdotal evidence goes both ways. I could also argue based on the types of posts I'm reading that these things never even find their way on to a shelf because they're sold out so quickly.
The fact of the matter is that inventory is going to vary from place to place. Further, they seem to be doing a decent job this go around of keeping inventory flowing. It's entirely possible that based on where you are and when shipments arrive, some may indeed be noticing unsold units everywhere they go while others are witnessing a sellout situation.
Man-is-Obsolete
Member
It's funny people will wait to buy something at Gamestop not realizing the big box store next door has it available right now. Gamestop kinda screwed themselves with the waiting list, because they will have to turn down paying customers to instead call prospective ones. There are people on their waiting list that surely have already secured a Wii U elsewhere. Cancelling the waiting list sounds like a smart move.
For more anecdotal evidence in the Ohio Valley region there are stores that have stock of the Wii U's. Not grand amounts for sure, but many have units ready to sell. Except Gamestop who is trying to work their waiting list.
Edit: to add to the previous poster. Different regions for sure are getting supplied differently. Here store may have received 50 initial units and now have been resupplied again, whereas other areas may have only received 10 and not been resupplied. So of course anecdotal evidence only a part of the story.
For more anecdotal evidence in the Ohio Valley region there are stores that have stock of the Wii U's. Not grand amounts for sure, but many have units ready to sell. Except Gamestop who is trying to work their waiting list.
Edit: to add to the previous poster. Different regions for sure are getting supplied differently. Here store may have received 50 initial units and now have been resupplied again, whereas other areas may have only received 10 and not been resupplied. So of course anecdotal evidence only a part of the story.
I know you're just trolling (interesting hobby), but GC was actually pretty well sold out for its first holiday.
OJdaKiller
Member
This is completely correct. They don't want word of mouth to be, "Don't go to Gamestop to get a Wii U because they are all sold out/accounted for because of a waiting list." They want customers in the store and to be considered a hot place to get consoles. If they hit on the first two points then their software sales also go up. If people aren't even bothering to come in the store, then all associated software sales go down...
Just another move of ill will by Gamestop. Can't wait for a time when all gaming sales go digital. Gamestop will be done for =)
sakipon
Member
I agree. There's a ton of abandoned preorders at every launch as people get their unit elsewhere. It's a waste of time to ask them all if they still want it. The only problem I see in this is that they never should've started a waiting list in the first place.
Anticitizen One
Banned
Why the fuck does anybody go to GameStop in the fist place. I walked into a target and best buy on launch day and bought 2 delux units. Ended up returning one of them.