Michael Corvin

Just got back from EB with some disappointing news if true. The sales guy(decent guy, been there forever) said both Nintendo and Sony essentially told Wal-Mart they couldn't sell any launch systems at their warehouse stores if they wanted any systems for the regular stores. He said they had a 6 month wait before they can offer them there.

Now normally I'd call bullshit, but what does this guy have to gain? All launch allocation systems from both companies are sold out, so he isn't going to see another sale if I don't go to Sams.

I know more than myself were planning on Sam's but even with this tiny seed of doubt, I don't want to waste my time waiting there if I need to be elsewhere.

So has anyone that works at EB/Wal-Mart/Sams heard anything similar or is this guy an idiot? I seem to trust the guy due to how long he's been there, he doesn't force sales/pre-orders/discount cards/etc. on you when you are there, at least for me, so I have no reason to doubt him.

Anyone?

Josh H

Interesting.

Costco employees posting on CAG have noted that they still having nothing in their systems about either console, and for the 360 etc. they showed up in the system further away from launch than this.

Maybe no warehouse stores are getting them (not just Sam's)?

RichC2

And yet, we almost always get these stories from EB. They always have that elitist mind set that if you don't get it from them, you won't get it, since afterall, they're the only ones that make a 'big deal' out of games apparently.

I can't confirm or deny this one though, but since I don't have a membership to either one, I can't say I'm too worried about it.

Outlaw

I'd be shocked if a retail giant like Wal-Mart or its warehouse Sam's Club didn't have launch systems. I'm with RichC2 on this one, despite how long that guys been there, every EB i've been to has the same elitist attitude.

sracer

Yeah, that story smells as fishy as a mackerel left out for a week in the blazing sun. Now if the guy said that he and his fellow salesmen were under the gun to oversell pre-orders, THAT I could believe.

jeffdsmith

Yeah well, the guy at EB told me nintendo was not going to release the Wii after seeing what the PS3 can do TGS. So yeah...

juanmgonzalez

Oh come on - Walmart and Costco both have Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft by the nuts and would get systems before EB/Gamestop/etc

PopcornTreeCt

I could see Sam's and Costco not getting them but Wal-Mart?

Michael Corvin

I agree, but again, what does he have to gain? He wasn't/isn't selling over the pre-order limit so he gets nothing out of this little story other than yanking my chain.

Well, hopefully a Sam's employee will chime in around launch time. I know pics of the 360 bundle surfaced prior to launch. Maybe we will see the same this time around.

SoonerDoc

he may not be trying to gain anything. it is completely possible that he is simply misinformed. wouldn't be the first time and most certainly will not be the last that a retail employee is spewing misinformation....

Supermallet

Ispep Aloc

I got my 360 at Sam's. I find it hard this very hard to believe.

fumanstan

It doesn't sound like Wal-Mart isn't getting them; just Sam's Club which is owned by Wal-Mart.

kurupt

Yeah, the guy's story was just that Wal-Mart was told that if they wanted to sell the consoles that they couldn't allow Sam's to sell them. While I believe that they EB guy believes the story, I doubt that it's true. I don't think that Sony or Nintendo are in any position to make any type of demands or threats to Wal-Mart. Making an enemy out of Wal-Mart would hurt those companies much more than it would hurt Wal-Mart. That said, Sam's is probably lower priority on the limited console list than more mass market friendly establishments such as Wal-Mart.

redcat

I don't understand why BOTH Sony and Nintendo would be taking this stand, much less why either of them would. From what little I've read, Nintendo is hardly expecting the same kind of shortage as Sony, so what do they care who sells their product? I just don't get how this would be logical in any way.

dsw13

Agreed. I think it's an even worse move, however, for Ninetendo, given their strategy of reaching non-gamers with this system. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't EB and Gamestop the same company? Why let both of them carry the Wii and prevent Walmart and Sam's Club from doing the same thing, when the Walmart/Sam's Club combo is more likely to get sales from the demographic Ninetendo is aiming for?

Silt

What alternate universe is he living in where companies tell/demand anything of Wal-Mart?


I've found that EB employees know about as much about gaming and the gaming industry as the typical Best Buy guy working in the computer department knows about hardware upgrades.....which is very little if anything.

Michael Corvin

I agree that these guys are usually clueless, but given this info, are you willing to forgoe the line at Target to take a chance that Sam's MAY get them?

Again, he didn't say Wal-Mart wouldn't get them, he said they used them as leverage to keep them out of the warehouse stores. Think about it, who got all the 360's at launch at Sam's club? Everyday customers? No, only business members who got to enter the store an hour prior to everyone else. Not the demographic Nintendo is aiming for.

And no I'm not defending the guy, I just want some solid info, because I would much rather get a bundle there and save $20-$30 then buy it all seperate elsewhere. What Josh posted about Costco is very interesting and feeds this theory a little.

dsw13

Good point, but by that logic, Nintendo should only be catering to the larger retailers rather than using anything as leverage. Are the EB/Gamestop shoppers any different than the business members who get to enter Sam's Club early as far as being outside the target demographic? If not, what does Ninetendo really have to gain by possibly antagonizing an outlet that is far more important to the long-term success of the console. I'd think that, especially considering the high number of launch units being reported, rather than using the console as leverage, Nintendo should be doing everything it can to keep the big chains happy and willing to promote the hell out of the system. If this turns out to be true, it just seems like a very arrogant attitude to take towards a company that, more than any other, caters almost exclusively to the target demo.

Josh H

And EB/GS got a pretty small amount of Wiis out of the 1 to 2 million launch total. Well less than their 25% of the gaming marketshare by all accounts.

Stores took between 8 and 32 preorders from what I saw around the net. Not much more than the PS3 which is shipping in much smaller supply.

So it really hints at Nintendo giving the gamestores less as that isn't their target market--they want to expand beyond hardcore gamers/nintendo fans, so it is in their interest to have as many consoles as possible in the big box stores where Joe Six Pack shops.

sracer

It is just not reasonable to think that this guy at EB has an inside scoop about allocations at ANOTHER retail outlet. I don't need to speculate about his motivation, what he said just doesn't make sense.

Costco is notorious for keeping their employees in the dark about future shipments. Up until 2 weeks before the 360's launch, the employees I spoke to about how many they would receive, said that they didn't show ANY coming in. They ended up with a pallet of 24. They later claimed that they wouldn't receive another shipment until Feb 06... they received one at the end of Dec.

Michael Corvin

Well looks like this is probably bogus after all. A poster over at CAG who works at Costco claims to have seen the sku's for the Wii bundle, here is the post by sonderiaom, verbatim:

----
Alright boys and girls, I was debating whether or not to give this information as it means that people will probably be lining up in front of all the Costco's on launch day to get one, but I've decided to give all the info about the Wii Costco bundle.

Item number is 200619
Description is that it is a Console + 2 Games
Price is $339.99

It didn't say how many my store was getting, but I did find a memo saying that the northwest was getting 64 pallets and there are 24 bundles per pallet. As well, I have the electronics manager emailing the company to find out exactly what games are going to come with it. However, I assume that Zelda will be one of those games.

As well, I'm including all the information from the other thread I'd created in case it helps.

Wii:
$44.99
Tony
Call of Duty 3
Dragonball
Rayman
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Avatar
$43.99
Super Monkey Ball

PS3:
$54.99
Tony Rainbow Six
Call of Duty 3
Sonic
Full Auto 2
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
$53.99
Untold Legends
--------

Only a $10 savings. Hopefully Sam's will be better.

tbird2340

Hmmm.. Do places like Sam's and Costco do pre-orders? If they don't.. I wonder if I could get one on launch day via Sam's Club. I have a business membership which allows me to get in before the public. That'd be sweet!!

Michael Corvin

No preorders. Last year only business members got 360s due to the early entrance time. I got there 90 minutes before they opened and snagged the last one, so you still have to go early and do a little camping.

Does Sam's open early for business members on Sundays?

tbird2340

Do you mean you snagged the last one and got there 90 minutes early as a business customer?