Wal*Mart sucks everything. Also, families that abuse the policy suck.
I got to the nearby Super Wal*Mar about 4. When I got there, I went to the electronics section, where there was a sign saying that the line for the Wii is outside by the garden center. I went to the garden center, asked the lady where the line is. She said that there is a sign outside, and the line starts there. Alright. I go out, and I see the sign. Thats all I see. NO People in line. So I think, Hmm, this is good. If there is nobody there at 4, I could go have dinner and be back in 2 hours. I go, have dinner, have a nice time. I go back and find that there are still no people in line. I find a nice girl planning on getting one for her brother. We get in line UNDER THE SIGN. The sign simply said "
Line Starts Here -->" with it pointing toward us. I'm sitting on the curb under the sign with her, followed by another guy who came up about 15 minutes later. Then a large women in a van 2 spaces away said something about too late. We didn't understand, mostly because she had a deep Slavic accent but she had rolled up her window again before we could ask. We stand around for a while, and then a male with the same accent came up and asked us What we were doing. Simply, we were waiting for the Wii. No you aren't, the line is the row of cars. I've been here since 9 pm last night. Why should you get one for being here only a half hour when others have been here for many many hours. (This was all bull, because by this time he came up to the three of us, we had all been there for over 2 hours.) Right now a few things have happened.
- The first car in the parking lot, a red sedan, was empty when I got there at 4, and again when I returned about 7:30
- The girl I was with spoke with the man to try and clear up that he had 4, that's right, 4!! places taken in line.
A manager comes out and tells us that we are not in line. The line is each parking spot gets 1 Wii. There are now about 40 cars parked, with the store only getting thirty. There were a lot fewer people when the three of us "got in line." This all goes on for some time, with another manager coming out saying it is fine for people to park there cars and leave, so long as by five minutes before midnight, there is someone in the vehicle or space. People came up to us many times saying they have been there for hours. Only one group of teenage guys answered me when I asked if they had been there the entire time. They had, in the cold, rainy, horrible weather, been outside waiting. I flat out told them that I had no problem having them get the Wii before me. They had been there for the full time, in line, in the cold. I count that as in line.
The main problems I am having are, in no particular order,
- Lack of information. I would have no problem waiting in a parking space. BUT, not only did the sign outside say nothing about parking spaces, but the sign inside, a larger, more detailed sign at the electronics section said only that the line started outside the Garden Center. Also, I asked three people where the line was. I was told all three times that the line was started at the sign saying "Line Starts Here". Nobody said anything about parking spaces being the only thing counted.
- Next, People simply parking a vehicle, then leaving for any amount of time to do what they please. ALL THE TIME, STILL COUNTING AS IN LINE!! My apologies for the amount of caps, but this may be what bothered me the most.
- People in the same group bogarting as many spaces, but, again, not occupying them. The kids were often in the sedan and van in positions 1 and 2.
- And Finally, people in cars counting as in line. It's a simple idea. A line to wait involves your ass waiting outside, in the cold, like the rest of the people. I was saying to the girl and other guy that the devout and with hypothermia count as in line. Not those relaxing in their vehicles. Many of those who want a Wii are younger, or even those that are older, not everyone has a car they can get toasty in. Let's see them try to wait in line at a concert or event, or well, anywhere, in there car without someone saying that they are crazy for thinking something so stupid.
After this fiasco, which resulted in my mother, the girl Nicky, her mother, and myself, trying to get some kind of satisfaction from the managers, but, then again, they're Wal*Mart managers. Night shift managers. I'm surprised they let them out of the zoo. Any way, we left Wal*Mart at about 12:10, when I yelled at the Slavic family walking away with 4 Wii systems, and went to the EB down the street. They only had Pre-orders, but were very nice, and understood what we (my mother and I) were talking about. We then went up to the Best Buy, but it was closed. So now, I'm going to take a nap, then at 6 am, my mother and I are going to drive everywhere in the state to find a Wii. I don't care how far I go, if I have to beat up some Pennsylvanians, I am getting a Wii today.
