Did Wii get a Wii? Wii did!

[amethyst73]

It's not quite that straightforward, of course.  And this is not going to be the clever, jubilant entry I'd originally planned on because lack-o-sleep is starting to seriously catch up.  But here's what happened.

3:40 PM Thurs, 2/1: I call the local Fry's to ask about availability of the elusive Nintendo console.  Somewhat to my surprise, they say to call back around 4-5PM, 'cos they'll have them in either late tonight or early tomorrow. 

Finished lab work somewhat hurriedly.  Emailed the huz.  3:50 PM: Got phone call from nezumiko asking for company over at the local hospital.  Told her I'd come by later if I could.

4:05 PM: I'm physically present at the local Fry's.. cuz, well, you never know.  I was promised by the sales associate that the consoles would be on sale tomorrow morning when they opened, that there would be advertisements in the local paper, etc.  Called the huz and communicated joyful news. 

4:30-5:30 PM: Hung out with nezumiko.  Got an opportunity to try her new Nintendo DS Lite.  Was reminded at how poor I am at basic arithmetic.  (Which is why some intelligent person invented the calculator!) 

6:30 PM: Started eating dinner.

6:40 PM: Got a phone call from my mom, who wanted to talk.  (She had become a grandmother for a second time that morning, after all.)

7:00 PM: Resume dinner.  Huz has long since finished eating dinner and goes to take care of neighbor's cats. 

The rest of the evening was fairly uneventful.  We went to the grocery to acquire scones for breakfast, and went to bed early, having agreed to set the alarm for 6:10 AM.

5:15 AM, Fri 2/2: We're both awake.  Might as well get up, huh...

We actually got up at 5:30, and left the house around 5:45.  The only really coherent thought that passed through my brain (multiple times, I might add) was, "I must be insane."

6:02 AM: Arrive in Fry's parking lot.  Nobody else around!  We are GUARANTEED to get a console!  Happiness and joy!!!

6:15 AM: 'Nother guy arrives, with the same purpose as us.  He chatted with a co-worker on his cell and told us that Fry's was selling the Wii as part of a bundle: console plus three other games for $399.  Huz and I look at each other in horror, but decide to wait.  After all, we're here now...

7:00 AM: Fry's employees start arriving.

7:20 AM: Another customer wanting a Wii joins the line.  This is the first additional person standing in line that we've seen since the first guy.  More murmurs of worry: surely, if they were selling just the console, surely there would be more people now!

A few other folks join the line.  Fry's employees show up sporadically.  The other... five or six folks in line are all there for their kids.  I feel a little embarrased to be here shopping for, well, us.

8:00 AM: They open!  And it's true, the bundle is the only way they're selling the things.

But we get one anyway.

As I told huz: I only want to go through this silliness once.  We can look into selling the games we don't want (Elebits, Super Monkey Balls, and Super Swing Golf - anyone interested in purchasing?) - our local GameStop will give us 35-40% back in store credit, which while less than optimal is not as bad as we'd thought.  And I have ..other thoughts.. about them too, which if the idea works, I'll let you know.

Let's just say that if someone charges me $150 extra after I've waited in line for longer than I really needed to, Mama is a little less than happy with them.  <wink>

Comments

[orichalcum.livejournal.com]

Argh! I'd be happy to buy your Super Monkey Ball off you, except that we already have a copy (no Wii to play it on, but when I do get a Wii, I'll be able to play it... Orichalcum got me it along with Zelda for my birthday, but we've been unable to get the Wii so far.) I've only played it a little, but I had a great time, and previous Monkey Ball games have been awesome (I played a bunch on the GameCube). But anyway, I guess my point is that you might consider keeping that one. If you played Marble Madness back in the day, Super Monkey Ball is like a suped up version of that. It also has many minigames, some of which are excellent, and some of which... are not. :) You should also be able to find someone to pay full price or close for it; it's a popular game from everything I've seen.

But congrats on getting a Wii, even if it was something of an adventure, and good luck with your plan. (Are they marked as bundled? If they aren't, you may be able to return them to some places for full value, at least in store credit.)

--Adam

[amethyst73.livejournal.com]

But anyway, I guess my point is that you might consider keeping that one. If you played Marble Madness back in the day, Super Monkey Ball is like a suped up version of that. It also has many minigames, some of which are excellent, and some of which... are not. :) You should also be able to find someone to pay full price or close for it; it's a popular game from everything I've seen.

Yeah, I've been looking at reviews, which say it's pretty good. Hard in the higher levels, at least for folks like me who aren't inveterate button-mashers. Given that the local GameStop doesn't care whether a game is still in the original packaging or not (it all counts as 'used,' and shrink-wrapping doesn't give a higher buyback price), if Plan A doesn't work, I'll definitely try the games before selling them. Elebits looks like it could be amusing too, at least for a while.

Are they marked as bundled? If they aren't, you may be able to return them to some places for full value, at least in store credit.

They are NOT marked as bundled, which is why Plan A may work. See, Fry's told us this morning that you couldn't return the games alone unless you returned the whole bundle - obviously not something we're willing to do.

Plans are afoot, but may not happen for a week or two. :)