Well boys and girls, my journey is finally over. After pitching a fit to the district managre in my area, I was able to have my pre-order fulfilled.

If you're in LA I know a comic book store that has them brand new in stock. However, the prices are 799(core) and 899(premium). That's why they still have them. :lol:. From what I've seen in this thread ...some of you are close to paying that anyway. ;)

edit:

Here's their site and you can order them there too. Lets see if this post causes a mad dash. :lol:

http://www.toymandala.com/

hmmmmmmmm i wonder if the jack asses xbox is covered under the 90 day ms plan :) just tell em your dog ate it.

one of those guys is probably strangehate damn people from canada

Irving Park Target has them

Stuck out at Target this morning.

Nothing at Target this morning for me either. :(

new bundles at gamestop. Exactly the same as last weeks. Ships at the end of February.


http://www.gamestop.com/gs/360/360_steel.asp

Seems kinda silly to order a bundle that ships in February, when these things will be widely available before then.

Checked my local Target today - they had 6 on Sunday, and expect more any day now. I figure if I go at 8AM every morning this week, I'm bound to land one - the store is deserted when they first open. If I don't get one, I'll be bundling up and waiting outside for 8 hours at Best Buy on Sunday.

Yeah, that is crazy. There are systems selling on ebay right now for what they cost at the store. Hell some people can't even get what they paid for them now: http://cgi.ebay.com/Microsoft-Xbox-3...QQcmdZViewItem

The "Steel" bundle is different than the last $1K bundle. This has some stragedy guides and a skin, but looses the 2nd controler and both play and charge packs.

The other deal was better. Now if only they'd ship the one I ordered.

DAMNIT That is right down the road from me, but the inlaws are giving me the money to buy one this weekend!!!!

I'm pissed. I was at Target this morning and they got 4 and the last one was being bought by an employee. I was there right as they opened.

Were there 3 other people in front of you? Did you speak to the manager?

Employees are consumers too. What is the manager going to do? Dicipline the employee for buying something while on the clock? (Assuming he/she was)

Yeah but he had a reserve set on it.

The CostCo bundle is going for over $900. It sold for $450. Still a tidy profit.

You realize it's against company policy to do this right?

No luck at my Target in Fort Worth. The guy said they had not received any since the launch but, he was expecting to get some by the 18th. Not sure I believe that but who knows. I picked up Sin City Recut, so not a total loss.

I noticed that, but no one even bid up to the $300 selling price. My point is, there are units out there if people want them. Even at actual price, I could post more but I'm sure everyone is capable of looking at ebay.

No, I didn't know that. Why is it against company policy to buy something from your own store?

Is it illegal for an employer to NOT sell merchandise to a consumer? I'm assuming some Best Buy's are just holding stock until the 18th. I was just wondering if there was anything illegal on BestBuy's part.

It is def. not illegal for a company to choose not to sell. (Assuming they have no contract with MS in regards to) If Best Buy wanted they could hold the inventory indefinitley.

No, not in this situation (or any situation for that matter). The higher ups have instructed to hold back units until a certain day. Who says a store has to sell something to a customer?

And it's not illegal for an employee to buy something while on the clock, it's just against company policy. They could have held it in the back and allowed him to buy it when he did clock out, which would have been fine.

<b>Mod Note: JAPANESE LAUNCH DISCUSSION GOES IN THIS THREAD: <a href="http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=447609">http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=447609</a></b>

I have no clue, ask Target?

The manager didn't say much. Only that it wont happen again and he was sorry that it was not supposed to happen that way. He said that he couldn't ask the employee to return it since he already bought it. This was after he tried to say he was only buying an Xbox not a 360.

Pink who nabbed the other 3? Folks who got there before you?

I assume, but I was there right as they opened and only say 1 person actually buying one because they had to pay for it at the electronics counter. There was no line for them at all and as I said before the employee was holding the other one.

Woo-fucking-hoo!!

Stopped by Costco on a whim today (I know I said I was 'throwing in the towel' but I've been known to go exagerate from time to time) and low and behold I saw three pallets of 360s sitting on the floor -- one of them completely empty, one half way gone, and the other completely full. 102 units I was told.

I ran to the guy handing them out and he told me I needed a ticket from the person out front. I ran to the person out front and she told me to speak to the manager. I found the manager and he told me to show my card to the woman by the pallets and she'd give me the ticket. So, after jumping through a hoop or two, I finally got my bundle.

This really couldn't have happened on a better day. I'd just taken my last final for the semester last night (kicked its ass, by the way) and my gf has her class 'til 10:00 pm tonight, so I've got all day alone with me and my precious.

Now I'm trying to figure out what the hell I'm doing here at work and why I'm not at home setting this thing up.

was it the target at the harlem irving park mall?

What time does CostCo seem to put the 360's out? Is it first thing in the morning? If so, us working people realyl have no chance to get one. My brother actually wants one now after seeing mine. I'm trying to track one down for him.

Anyone from MICHIGAN have any luck?

Congrats you'll love it! Where is this located?

Thanks!

I'm in Phoenix, and the Costco I went to is at 15th ave and Montebello, which is just south of Bethany Home Rd. at Spectrum (formerly Christown) Mall. Luckily, I work a stones throw away from there so getting through the doors as they opened was no problem.

At least this shows that the Arizona Costco's are finally getting them in, and it may be worth while to check the one up by you in Prescott Vallley, sracer.

Did you get there when the doors opened for businesses or for people? I know outs opens a hour earlier for business members.

They do it all the time to meet release dates for movies and whatnot...

For "people", I assume. It's strange though, their website says that the regular store hours are 11:00am - 8:00pm, and that they open at 10:00 am for business members. Today I decided to call just to confirm these hours and the recording said that they open at 10:00am for everyone. Go figure...

I got there at about 10:15 or so and managed to snag a bundle. They still had quite a few left on the pallets, and the people who'd received their tickets as they opened at 10:00 had already got their stuff and left. So it was basically just the late comers (i.e. me)that were getting their 360s when I was there.

But that's holding it in advance of the official release date.

The official release date for the 360 has come and gone. Therefore there is no real reason that Best Buy should hold onto stock.

I wish there were a costco near me :(

Yeah, that's what I was wondering. I didn't think it was illegal, I was just curious. I'm just wondering if a customer could make a BIG enough fuss to get one. We already have proven that Best Buy's "bundle" is technically wrong. I can see CostCo seelign bundles, but if I JUST want a console, I should be able to buy it....blah blah...no big deal, just thinking out loud.

So, any luck in MI?

I just don't understand why CostCos are getting hundreds in, and BB needs to save for 2 weeks in order to have 20 in stock. Is it the same number of units for each chain, just being divided among more BB stores?

Best Buy seems to be playing a dangerous game. I know I've heard a number of people that know about them holding on to stock say they won't buy or shop at Best Buy for a 360 or any accessories/games. How true they stick to that is another matter.

Best Buy seems to be wanting to create another situation where people camp out and line up hoping that once they are in the store, even if they don't get a 360, they will buy other merchandise because its the holiday shopping season.
And I think it will backfire. Those people waiting for a system and not getting one will most likely leave pissed and not buy anything else. They will sell, for sure, but I would laugh so much if Best Buy's "artifical second launch" didn't move a single system off the floor because people are pissed at the way the launch was handled, and Best Buy's wanting to create a secondary launch day.