tpv1237 Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 Get this... Person #1 and #2 got in line 5am Turkey day, if that was not Grand enough, they worked in Shifts of 4 hours with 3 sets of other people until the Doorbuster items were handed out.. 16 laptops, 8 Desktops went in the 1st 5 minutes.... to these 8 people who were not even in line 1/2 a day TOTAL each... The people behind them "Saved" 10 seats for their friends who arrived at 10pm and 11pm... My Group was there at 3pm, and missed the laptop by 6 people (were were 15th in line at the Beg of the day and 31st by the time tickets were handed out. Will there ever be a better way of making sure the people who WAIT get the items? Been up for 36 hours straight, and too tired to sleep.... anyone have any suggestions for the Best Buy Brass?
nbrendal Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 have best buy workers come out every hour and hand out tickets to people so they can get tickets...haha. and always pick back up in the line where they left off. So if people join later and dont have a ticket...to get a ticketed item...NOPE :) OK I know that is confusing and would never happen, but all i got at this hour.
Mp4 Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 Station a bestbuy employee there all night. Each person gets a ticket when they come and the BB employee signs off on them hourly so you have to stay there.
bigjimslade Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 Get this... Person #1 and #2 got in line 5am Turkey day, if that was not Grand enough, they worked in Shifts of 4 hours with 3 sets of other people until the Doorbuster items were handed out.. 16 laptops, 8 Desktops went in the 1st 5 minutes.... to these 8 people who were not even in line 1/2 a day TOTAL each... The people behind them "Saved" 10 seats for their friends who arrived at 10pm and 11pm... My Group was there at 3pm, and missed the laptop by 6 people (were were 15th in line at the Beg of the day and 31st by the time tickets were handed out. Will there ever be a better way of making sure the people who WAIT get the items? Been up for 36 hours straight, and too tired to sleep.... anyone have any suggestions for the Best Buy Brass? Welcome to the community! I would have someone from BB in a BB shirt do line patrol. That is the best way to do it but I can see BB saying that they wont do it because there is a chance there person could get hurt. I have a feeling next year that the line will form on Wednesday.
nbrendal Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 Welcome to the community! I would have someone from BB in a BB shirt do line patrol. That is the best way to do it but I can see BB saying that they wont do it because there is a chance there person could get hurt. I have a feeling next year that the line will form on Wednesday.and I wont be in it.
308swife Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 and I wont be in it.HAHAHHAHA...I sooo agree. I wasn't in it this year, and never will be.I suckerd my Aunt into going there.
AaronOnline Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 I don't think you should have to "stay" there per-say (sic) My wife came with me for company and not to buy anything and she sat in for me so I could sit in the car for awhile and I ran home once, posted some posts on here, and warmed up. Now, if you come alone, no matter how "friendly" you are with those around you, I think you should have to stay. Of course, I let others leave to to the bathroom and whatnot. Some people kinda push it though such as one guy from here who came and spend quite a bit of time at IHOP instead of being in line. He also came after many people and cut in line (kinda) He asked people if it was ok (which was cool) and they didn't mind but I am sure others would have wanted his hide for it. He was behind me so it was not an issue for me...let em all cut BEHIND me. Haha The fact is, if you come later and your friends are way up, visits are fine BUT go back to YOUR place in the line. First come, first serve. I got there at 3:30 pm the day before, why are they complaining about being there at 10 pm ?
FuNkY CaPrIcOrN Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 he he You Best Buy Folks have to Deal with this.
dervari Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 If they're concerned their people will get hurt, each store could hire a couple of security guards (perhaps one armed and one not) to police the crowd. Perhaps even a couple of off duty cops. Even at $100/hr total for both, it would be only $1500 to have them stationed there from 3pm until 6am on BF. Not only would that help in keeping the line in order (handing out numbers, keeping out crashers, etc) but it would be a hell of a good PR move to ensure the safety of the shoppers, Some of which probably have some serious cash on them. The one time I did an overnight campout in Atlanta, I was carrying a Glock 9mm in a shoulder holster with an extra magazine (yes, I do have a state-issued concealed carry permit).
Demontooth Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 They should not let anyone lineup until midnight on Thanksgiving.
dervari Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 They should not let anyone lineup until midnight on Thanksgiving.But then you would have people circling like vultures and at midnight it would be a mad rush. This is recipe for someone to get seriously hurt.
lalam Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 No one from BB showed up at our store until about 3am (we got there at 9pm and were 30th in line, 50th by the time the doors opened). I spoke to the manager about why they didn't have employees there earlier. He said that Corporate has tried several different ways to do it over the years. He said it wasn't cost effective to have their employees there and that BB likes "our customers to manage themselves while forming a line." I got everything I wanted, but I will not be going there next year for sure.
Space Ghost Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 Im not sure why people feel BB should be there to enforce the lines. They really don't care who gets their first, as long as you buy their product. The lines always managed to police themselves just fine. The earlier you get there, the better the people are.
wild800 Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 I don't think I'll be doing it again unless I can be #1 in line, there was actually a group of people ahead of me who had twenty chairs that they filled at around 3:30 in the morning.
Cwilliams Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 I was number 1 in line at our best buy. I was wearing my Geek squad shirt. Off duty of course. I had bought some of those cheap printable business cards and printed the best buy logo on top and then a number 1 through 100. When someone got there the had to sign a card and then sign a master log that I kept with there name number and time of arrival. When they came out to hand tickets out the store manager came out and asked for my list. she went down the line with the guys and if there was any question she would ask for the card and match it to the list. There was a bunch of last minute friends and familly showing up and cutting line. Guess what if you don't have a card go to the back is what she said. It worked out great and she loved it this way. It will now be a standard at our best buy.
Gurnee Al Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 This is all insane and unfair to the people who were waiting there for several hours the entire time. They should figure out some kind of lottery system so no one has to wait.
tpilk Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 This was my first BF experience and I only went for the 32" Westinghouse, since I've been on the market for an HD tv and I didn't think I'd see a better price for a while. The BB I was at (5th ave in Manhattan) wasn't actually that crowded, as far as I could tell. I showed up at approx. 1am and there were maybe 100 ~ 120 ppl in line at that point. It was raining though, so that might have kept a few folks at home in their beds. Everything was single file until around 3, when I noticed a few points in the line where random people would walk up and join the lines with their buddies. It's definitely annoying when you've been standing still in the rain for 2 hours and some idiot jumps out of his car, nice and warm, and he's 20 ppl in front of you in line. I got my TV though, so looking back I'm not as bothered by this as I would have been if one of those guys had got the last ticket. Speaking of tickets, the BB staff didn't start handing them out until 4:40. Since they started late, the one guy handing out the tickets was super rude. If you didn't know what you wanted he basically snapped at you and went on to the next person. I get that he had a lot of vouchers to hand out, but it's not anybody else's fault that they didn't have their act together until 20 minutes before opening. Maybe he was just cranky. I don't know. The laptops were by far the biggest item. I fact, I think they went a little heavy on all the HDTV sets thinking they'd be huge sellers, but at my point in the line, I got the 19th ticket for the 32" westy (with a min. of 14 per store) and when I went to get the set, the guy in line in front of me had ticket # 24. I saw where they were all stacked against the wall and I would guess they had maybe 30 of them out at the beginning.
bbelover Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 we had a problem whereas the security at our mall where BB is at, kept everyone off the property til 3 AM or were subject to arrest, which I think is BS, but BB employess never came out and gave out tickets, instead when people were allowed to go into the store of course everyone rushed the store, only a few people were allowed into there at at time, the cops were called, mayhem erupted people crashed the doors, arrests were made and it was NOT a pretty site, a few people got hurt, we were 3 and 4th in line, the laptops were gone because BB employees didn't stick to their 1 per person, one guy walked out with 10 of the 18 that were available, after last year I said I wouldn't go back there, well this year, I mean it, If BB can't get it together I'd rather go to dell.com for my laptop...My daughter was telling BB employess seeing it was pouring rain here too if they are warm and dry, they just got here, people that have been waiting in line were soaked and freezing, most of those people again like last year went home without a thing..Shame on BB
Demontooth Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 But then you would have people circling like vultures and at midnight it would be a mad rush. This is recipe for someone to get seriously hurt.Then a lottery system, doesn't matter if you get there Tuesday or 5 minutes before they open, everyone has a chance.
daz Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 I don't think I'll be doing it again unless I can be #1 in line, there was actually a group of people ahead of me who had twenty chairs that they filled at around 3:30 in the morning.If I got there a day early and there were 20 empty chairs in front of me, they'd be in the middle of the parking lot in a second.
skairx90 Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 This is all insane and unfair to the people who were waiting there for several hours the entire time. They should figure out some kind of lottery system so no one has to wait.I dont agree with lottery because then why call them early bird specials when all you have to rely on is the luck of having your name drawn, i think a lottery will result in a more chaotic situation.
happyrat Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 The best way I think to do it, is to make it fun. Let people only lineup 24hours early, and have them register when they walk up. Ask them what they want, and then give them a ticket or wristband for that item(s). Then when all items are gone, let people know, and then they can wait or not wait. Then every hour or so do a line check and make sure the person is still in line, and has not switched with someone else. This was there has to be no actual line, since people are already numbered and ticketed, and they can move around. I'd also organize some games, and play music, and hand out food during the night. Granted in might cost a little more, but everyone would be happy and less likely to fight. Set an example for other people to follow. PS I am not sure how they do it now, but I would also limit the sale to people over 18 so people are not brining their 3 year old kids with them to get extra tickets.
Demontooth Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 Sooner or later someone is going to get shot, stab, or robbed. Think about it, you have 100 people standing around like sheep at midnight, they obviously have some money on them since they are there to buy big ticket items, how many armed men could rob everyone of everything they have? How many people would they kill if people resisted?
mario44222 Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 At our store...It was total chaos... Me and my friends got there around 8:00 pm that night. It was cold and raining for the most part. There were already 30 people in front of us. It was no big deal. But what most people were doing in front of us was that one person would stay in line and like 5 people from their car would jump out go on line. Totally it was not fair and the line was never mandated by police or best buy. A cop came by around 12 am telling us it was not their responsiblity neither best buy's to mandate the line and that you since you are all adults you should act responsiblity.. My a**. So from being 30th in line my friends and I dropped back to like 50th. People from the back were slidiing forward. By 2 am the line never existed and it was a big mosh pit. People were squeezed like sardines until 4 am. Pushing and shoving was the main focus until the store opened. The police finally showed up around 3ish started pushing people in to the wall of the store trying to make some sort of line. People couldn't breath and many had to get squeezed out of the line because they couldn't do it. When best buy opened the only 1 small door it got even worse. People were climbing on the door and squeezing to get in. Once maybe like the first 200 got in the long hall way they started giving out the tickets. At this time the line was around the parking lot. Me and my friends got most of the things we wanted except any of the door busters because we got completed screwed when the cops started to do some control. We were in and out pretty fast. When we were coming out the 2nd wave of people were about to come in.. There was pretty much nothing left at that point.. lol When we reached the parking lot the line was even longer.. What is the messed up part of it was that BB employees were taking video of this whole thing since they got to work.
sschmid Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 I was in line with maybe 30 in front outside the BB in poughkeepsie NY then about 3AM they put up a sign on the door EXIT ONLY and you had to enter through the Mall enterance which not hade a line more thatn 100 waiting for other stores in the mall to open now the bestbuy line went running to the mall enterance along with I don't know how many running from the parking lot! Needless to say I ended up with nothing I had come for. It was a real feasco. Especially since the fine print on their ad said they would hand out tickets at 4AM OUTSIDE the store. It is a real bummer when the store has 2 enterances would it be to difficult to put up that designation when the store closed on Weds.!!!
lovelady123 Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 I really think that the problem of people joining the line is more prevalent after the first 15-20 people. I camped out last year (got there around 11:00 pm) and was fifth in the line. We held each other's spots to go get warmed up for a few minutes or go to the bathroom, but no one up front had extra folks trying to join the line. Now behind us, I noticed the line got pretty bunched up 3 to 4 people wide. If I couldn't be one of the first 10, I just wouldn't stay because the further back you are the harder it is to tell if someone has 5 family members joining in. With all the reports of folks lining up early on Thanksgiving, I didn't even bother to try and go this year. My son drove by our BB at around 1:00 am and her said the line was completely wrapped around the building.
Diesel0312 Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 I really think that the problem of people joining the line is more prevalent after the first 15-20 people. I camped out last year (got there around 11:00 pm) and was fifth in the line. We held each other's spots to go get warmed up for a few minutes or go to the bathroom, but no one up front had extra folks trying to join the line. Now behind us, I noticed the line got pretty bunched up 3 to 4 people wide. If I couldn't be one of the first 10, I just wouldn't stay because the further back you are the harder it is to tell if someone has 5 family members joining in. With all the reports of folks lining up early on Thanksgiving, I didn't even bother to try and go this year. My son drove by our BB at around 1:00 am and her said the line was completely wrapped around the building. I think a lot of it has to do with those in the front of the line know they are going to get what they want. I was third in line and could get any of the vouchers for a doorbuster that I wanted, so I had no problem holding the line while the people in front of me went to the bathroom, took a walk to warm-up, etc. Those farther back were on the bubble and were much less friendly with others around them. Also, being that each of the first 10 had chairs set up in a nice line and we had already talked to each other quite a bit when we first got there, any of us letting others in line would be easily spotted. Farther back in the line, people were standing butts to nuts and a few people wide, it was much easier to slip people in unnoticed. I was there for the TV and even though I could have shown up a few hours later and still got it, I'm glad I went early. The people at the front of the line around me were calm and nice and there was no worry about whether or not I would get what I came for.
J_Man Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 If people are going to go nuts over the items and they will not enforce it so that people can not line up until midnight Thanksgiving nioght, then they need to think of other ways. They could have a drawing. November 1 for sign up and the week before have a contest drawing. Everyone that signed up to be in line shows up and if your name is pulled, you will get a spot in line at 3am. Your spot in line is decided by when your name is called. Each person can be allowed 1 or 2 guests (non-doorbuster buyers) and must be told to the day of the drawing. These people can buy any item from the rest of the sale, but no doorbuster items. Come the day of, nobody can line up until the time Best Buy (and all other stores that would do this) designates. Rope off the area for the doorbuster winners and everyone else can line up behind the roped off area. Once 3am comes along, all doorbuster winners must be in line for the 2 hour wait. Come 4:30am, if there are winners that did not show up, whoever follows 1st, and so on behind the roped off area will be moved up. The other idea is what I most all of feel should be done. Stock the store better. The stores will only gain more money by doing this and more people can get in on the deals too. The people that are buying the stuff and reselling it out in the parking lot will be cut out since the demand will be far less for people willing to pay over the advertised price. Another thing is to have people monitoring the line. State that there is no leaving the line. No bathroom breaks. You must be in line to get the item. No trading places with friends. No allowing of friends to cut. This will cut down tremendously on people lining up way too early. This is fair too because people do not have any business getting in a line if front of a store on a day the store is open. If they're not there to buy while the store is open, they are loitering. There is a law against that. To me it's bad business and goes along with the fact of the store not having enough items to sell. Letting people line up that are nopt buying is the same as not having enough in that the store is losing money both ways. Potential selling points should be the name of the goal, not dodging a buyer.
ace25baker Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 I didn't get to my bestbuy store until 6 am. I waited 2 hrs in line that went around and around the store. I was not there for a major purchase and did my shopping while in line. we did pass alot of unused checkouts thou thru the store and that was upsetting to everyone in line. even the computer geeks didn't look very busy when i got up front.
dervari Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 Sooner or later someone is going to get shot, stab, or robbed. Think about it, you have 100 people standing around like sheep at midnight, they obviously have some money on them since they are there to buy big ticket items, how many armed men could rob everyone of everything they have? How many people would they kill if people resisted?That's what a concealed weapons permit is for. :) The police have absolutely no responsibility to protect you as an individual. Take your safety into your own hands.
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