SNES Classic Pre-Order Aftermath - Don't Be a Dick To Retail Employees
The pre-order period for the SNES Classic has apparently come and gone. I really hope you were able to get one. It seems like Nintendo is once again producing a limited supply of this highly sought after item. They promised to produce more units than the NES Classic, a promise we'll never be able to disprove either way. If they produced 120% of the amount of NES Classics they produced, TECHNICALLY they kept their word. As you and I know however, 120% of crap is still crap. I don't want this to be just another rant, there's plenty of those online. No, this is about the people rarely though about: the troops on the front lines.
I don't blame most of the retailers. No matter when they opened pre-orders, whether it is 2AM EST, or 12PM PST, someone will be unavailable at that time, and will miss their shot. I guarantee you no retailer told NIntendo to not send A LOT of these, as they were almost for certain guaranteed to sell. Hell, I don't blame the scalpers. I don't know their situation. Some people make a living out of flipping products, whether they are limited like Nintendo's, found on Craig's List, or Tickle Me Elmos. No, this is Nintendo's fault. They are the ones who hyped up something that is nearly impossible to get. Let me get back to the important piece of this post: retail employees.
These guys, whether they were working at Gamestop yesterday waiting to tell hundreds of people that they were allotted 10 units for their store, or the customer service reps at Target who are getting a ton of angry chat messages about the SNES Classic not adding to their cart and missing out, are not responsible for Nintendo's dickishness. Can you imagine waking up yesterday, knowing that you are about to go work at your Gamestop store, and will be dealing with 99% disappointed and/or angry customers for something you had nothing to do with? Their crappy business practices aside, the employees are not at fault, and they do not deserve your ire. The person on the retailer's customer service team doesn't deserve your anger due to their site getting bombarded by customer and scalper alike, looking for this product that is in such short supply.
Don't be a dick to them! Throw your anger at the right source. Social bomb your complaints in an adult, professional manner to NIntendo. Tell them that they are scumbags for getting people's hopes up, and then, at least so far, disappointing them with his un-needed stress. Life has enough problems as is, and as I noted in my previous post about this, we shouldn't have the SNES Classic bring us both joy and dread. A lot of dread. You still have a chance to make right with this, Nintendo! If you needed proof of demand, you again have it. Prove us wrong, ship a ton of units to stores on release day, and let all of us relieve the amazing moments from our childhood.
For now, here are some tips to help you secure one of these on launch day:
Follow CAG Video Game Deals. They Tweeted and Facebook posted as soon as every store put up their pre-orders. If they open it up again, you can be sure they will alert you.
Be VERY nice to employees in your nearby stores. You are far more likely to get details on the store's shipments this way, and you could spread your resources accordingly. If you're a dick, you'll get zip.
Craig's List - Yes, seriously. Open it up the day of release, early. You may be able to finagle one for not much above MSRP. I don't usually condone this, but if you REALLY want one, this is the best chance to not get overly screwed.
Retail employees have enough to deal with. As if the upcoming Black Friday sales, and customers being angry for dumb moves their own corporate overlords do isn't enough, now they have to deal with this crap heap from Nintendo. I speak from experience, I worked in retail for 13 years. Don't be a dick to these people. Please. Unless they are dicks to you, then it's fair game.
Get boning!
