OK then. As we all know, the Wii is a console that is very very good at what it does. SO good in fact, that the demand for them is massive.
Now I don't quite know how people who want one still haven't got one yet, as I managed to find them fairly easily on launch day.
Yes, it involved some queuing, yes it involved a few car journeys around town.....but on the other hand....YES it was well worth it (because as we all know, children, if it isn't worth the wait, it's probably not worth it )
In fact, here is a story of the first two I came across:
Went to Tesco's, none there. Drove to a Tesco Superstore, they were having a raffle to determine who got one, so we filled out our names and were told to return at midnight.
Then made the short trip back across town to go to Asda. Were told they were getting 8 in stock (I was 3rd in the queue) and in total, 8 groups of people (1 Wii each) arrived.
Now I'm not sure about what it is exactly that causes the friendly atmosphere around a launch day, but in the 1 and a half hours that followed, we all got to know one another in the queue and ended up swapping "Wii hunting" stories and also talking about all sorts of things in general.
Dare I say it, but despite being after 10pm, it was a .......how do I say?....family atmosphere.
Now to confirm that Asda had them in stock, the shop monkey showed us the invoice and said "they're waiting out back, but we have to wait till midnight".
Around 11:30pm, the manager rang up and spoke to the aforementioned shop monkey.
After putting the reciever down, the friendly simian told us "Er.....actually .....um....it was a mistake, we don't have any after all"
Obviously, the manager had rung up to say "hold them for me and my friends instead" or something to that effect (the stories of shop staff keeping consoles rather than sell them to shoppers is numerous).
So we disconsolately headed out of the shop thinking that our quest was over.
But then....
...we thought we'd give ye olde Tesco raffle a try. We headed back to Tesco SupahDupah Store and joined an even BIGGER group of people hoping to be the ones selected to go forth on their adventure.....erm....I mean, selected to be able to buy a Wii .
Lo and behold, we one 2. One was a present for my nephews and nieces, and t'other was given to a friend at cost price.
Lots of us in the queue waiting to pay for our "win", in the background is the even bigger crowd waiting to win theirs ---->
Over the next month, we managed to get hold of 4 more from various places, only 1 of which was a pre-order, and only one other of which resorted to having to travel to the next town to source.
So I read with much dismay, about how people cannot find them (seeing as we averaged getting hold of 1 per 5 days....none of them from fleabay either )
Now reading through the internalationet, I have found many many posts about various peoples tips'n'tricks for getting a hold of one.
So I thought I'd write my own miniguide on how to get a Wii.
Patience is a virtue - Demand is massively outstripping supply, so the chances of one falling into your lap from the sky are slim. Be patient. This doesn't just go for waiting for stock to arrive. It also pertains to waiting in queues if and when you need to.
A rolling stone gathers no moss - a.k.a GET OFF YOUR AR5E and go and look for one. I often have mental images of people's attempts at getting one. This involves sitting on the sofa, deciding you want one, phoning a few shops via Yellow Pages, and chatting to the bloke who picks up the phone. This isn't good enough. You have to be prepared to at least venture out of your house.
Get there early - Chances are, if stock is due to arrive, you're not the only person to know about it. It doesn't harm anything by getting there maybe 30min early at least so that you're near the front of the queue when it starts.
You asked for it ! - Or did you? It's sometimes the case that a shop is so busy that they haven't managed to rearrange the displays and actually put them out yet. I also know of people who've gone into gamestation when there are none evident, asking and then getting the assistant to check for them. Surprised them when "Yes, we've JUST got them in 5 min ago" was the reply. Remember, ask and ye may recieve.
Ask about other shops - Quite a few shops are linked. Take Curry's a.k.a. PCworld a.k.a. Dixons (and, believe it or not, a.k.a. Staples now). Not only can they check with other shops of the same type from around the country, but they're perfectly able to check across different named branches too.....so you can go into Currys and get stock info about PCworld.
Have lots of friends - Lots of stories abound of how Mr X couldn't find a Wii, but they were rung up out of the blue one day by a family friend, Mrs Y, who said they were in a shop who had them and 'would they like them to get one for them?' Remember to ask lots of friends and rellies to keep an eye out for you and you might get pleasantly surprised one day too.
Check out WiiTalk.co.uk - Yes, check out this forum extensively. Not only are there some good finds on the sales and classifieds section, but if people have any luck in finding them, they'll more than likely post them up here and give good advice on how to go about it.
Check out sites that track stock for you - there are UK sites that continually check stock allocation in most UK shops. Believe it or not, but I have heard of a few folks who've found theirs this way (worth a try anyway).
Put yourself on the waiting list - finally, it may be obvious, but many shops still have waiting lists for their new allocations, so don't be afraid of putting your name down to get one. At the most, you'll have to pay a deposit, but demand is high enough that the shop won't be upset if you change your mind (they can always still sell it). The deposits should not be non-refundable, so no real risk there. If you source one from somewhere else, contact the shop and get your deposit back.
Remember, it's always better to wait a week or so than to pay over the odds for fleabay scalpers to get the Wii. Although, I do admit, it all boils down to how patient you really are ......
....and to those of you who still don't have one GOOD LUCK ....you'll be glad you persevered.
Last edited by Gaffer : 29-03-2007 at 03:43 PM.
Reason: re-uploaded images
I used this web site to find my Wii. It updates regularly and automatically refreshes your browser every 60 seconds (longer at night).
Yep....see point 8
In fact, I have since got yet another wii for someone.....and within 5 minutes of deciding to look for one, I used a tracker site and had it ordered from John Lewis .
IMO and experience i think Karma may have an effect lol. I had mine pre ordered only to be cancelled on the day of release (bitterly dissapointed) so i ran about all over the place that day to find one but never
then when i thought that i would never get one b4 xmas there was an advert in the paper saying toys r us were getting them in the next day with very limited supplies. i was planning on goin up at 4 in the morning to queue, but my dad got up at half 2 and lucky he did cos they got 40 in and my dad was number 32, if he hadnt gone up for me, wen i got there i wouldnt have got one!!
I feel like Karma repaid us for searching high and low for one in this instance!!
My Tips On Getting A Wii
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thinking that our quest was over.
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