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Columnist waits hours outside store in freezing weather, gets answers
By Betty Lin-Fisher
Beacon Journal business writer
Published on Sunday, Dec 16, 2007
I couldn't believe I was doing it, but two Sundays ago, I joined a new club — people who wait outside in cold weather for the chance to buy something. As I drove in freezing rain at 4:40 a.m. toward an area Toys''R''Us in my two layers of pants and shirts and my heaviest winter coat, I told myself I was crazy.
Sure, I go shopping on the day after Thanksgiving, but usually I get to the first store by 7 a.m. or so.
Recently, my friend Michelle and I decided we were going to try to buy one of the coveted Nintendo Wii video game systems, which have become nearly impossible to get. We were pretty noncommittal for a few days, and even the night before, on whether we would do it. I told her I was willing to try it once, and it could be one of those stories we could reminisce about one day.
Earlier in the week, a Toys''R''Us employee had told me when I was chatting with her as a customer that there'd be 23 Wiis that Sunday when the store opened at 8 a.m. and I had to show up between 6 and 6:30 a.m. to get one. I could handle that.
I considered myself lucky to have gotten that tip because most inquiries about Wii availability at stores are met by employees saying they don't know when they'll get them or that the games are usually gone within an hour of arrival, so it's almost as if you just have to be lucky.
Michelle and I decided that we'd show up at 6, and if more than 23 people were in line, we would go home. But at 4:40 a.m., my phone rang, and Michelle, who had had trouble sleeping that night, told me I had to get to the store now because 18 people were already in line.
When I showed up, sure enough, people were all bundled up and waiting in line.
What struck me, though, was that the first people in line had a portable heater with an extension cord snaking back to their running car.
Boy, these people were serious. All we brought were sleeping bags and fold-up chairs.
We later found out that the first people in line had arrived at 3:30 a.m. The second people in line had actually arrived at 2:45 a.m. but decided to wait in their car until the others came along.
Luckily, this particular store has an overhang outside its doors, so those of us sitting in line weren't pelted by the freezing rain or wind. I'm not saying it wasn't cold, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it could be.
Michelle and I were feeling guilty when we found out that the dad in front of us was on his family's second try to get a Wii for his kids. His wife had sat outside the week before and wasn't among those to get one.
The woman behind us had been trying since Black Friday — sitting out in the cold multiple times with no luck — for a present for her husband. She said this was the last time she was trying.
Ahead of us in line was a family of at least three — a mom, a dad and a boy I'd say was about 12. There was also a couple, whom I overheard tell someone they were going to get only one Wii system (it was a limit of one per person). But when it came time to get tickets, they each took one. I suspect someone persuaded them to get
the second one and sell it.
That was the most surprising part of my experience — what seemed to be the large number of ''professionals'' — people in line to buy the Wii to resell it.
I knew that Wiis were going for a pretty penny on eBay and other sites online. The system, which costs $250, is sometimes selling for double that online. Michelle and I even talked about whether we should share one and sell one, though we decided against that.
(By the way, I'm not messing up any Christmas surprises. It's not easy to keep a secret from your spouse when you're out of the house from 4:40 until 8:30 a.m. Ours is a family present, so the kids already know about it.)
Michelle and I were among the lucky ones who got the Wiis that morning. There were actually 31 systems, so a handful of people after us got them, too. But some who had been sitting there with us for hours were turned away at 7:30 a.m. when the tickets were distributed.
Shoppers' explanations
When we were finally allowed into the warm store, people started chatting more after they unbundled from their hats and coats. Two college students behind us told us that their systems would be heading to the Internet. One guy said ''I've been doing this weekly since about July. This is my job.''
''Do I even want to know how much you've made doing that?'' Michelle asked.
''Let's just say I've paid off a few student loans,'' he replied.
''It beats stripping'' to pay for college, quipped the mother behind me.
For the next few days, I felt guilty that I had actually gotten one of the coveted Wiis. We don't normally splurge on a big gift for ourselves, and honestly, this is probably too good to be played on our old 25-inch TV.
I returned to the Toys''R''Us a few days later to get a price adjustment on a toy that was on sale and was chatting with employees at the front desk about my Wii experience. They were happy I had gotten one and started describing people to see if they had been in line with me.
One employee said she was upset that the ''professionals'' were standing in line each week and taking away the chance for moms and dads to buy a popular toy for their kids. She said some store employees wondered if there is a way to avoid selling to the professionals.
I told her I understood the frustration, but no one can stop the free market at work. If people want to be crazy enough to get up at 3 a.m. every week, then that's their choice. You also can't tell someone how they can use something they buy.
But I'll tell you, I'd much rather have been able to casually walk into a store to buy the Wii instead of sitting out in the cold.
(Nintendo has said it didn't anticipate the Wii would be the hot toy again this Christmas season. I've also seen some stories saying that fears of lead-tainted toys have increased some parents' desire to stay away from toys and go for a video game.)
When I mentioned the employee's objection to my husband, he said ''If moms and dads want it bad enough, they'll sit outside to get it, or they'll pay for it online.''
I didn't see him sitting out in the cold with me, but I suppose someone had to stay home with the sleeping babes.
And after reading a story recently about more than 100 people lining up in front of a new Chick-fil-A in Cuyahoga Falls 10 hours before the store opened at 6 a.m. to win a year's worth of free chicken, I'm thinking my foray into ''temporary insanity'' wasn't so bad.
Will I ever do it again? Doubtful. But I guess you can never say never.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at
330-996-3724 or blinfisher@
thebeaconjournal.com.
I couldn't believe I was doing it, but two Sundays ago, I joined a new club — people who wait outside in cold weather for the chance to buy something. As I drove in freezing rain at 4:40 a.m. toward an area Toys''R''Us in my two layers of pants and shirts and my heaviest winter coat, I told myself I was crazy.
Get the full article here.
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