Wii-tards

It was definitely an unforgettable experience. If you don't want to read the whole thing, skip to the last paragraph...

Lets rewind, stories of PS3 camping was definitely interesting to say the least. Good thing a pre-order ensured a console which has already changed hands at a decent profit. The Wii line was definitely shorter, and the waiting conditions were definitely better.

The night started with a call from Mark, hearing panic in his voice "yo wes! theres already 46 people in line at Best Buy, you guys better come soon, i'm running over to futureshop to see what the situation is there and i'll call you back *click*" - time of call: 10:15

Going back down memory lane - a week ago: "hey..i think 5am would be fine.."

5 days ago: "lets go at 4 just to make sure we each get one"

2 days ago: "alright, i think we should go with 1am"

eventual result: 10:30pm, the night before!

The packing list consisted of:
1. wallet
2. cell phone
3. sweaters..alot of sweaters
4. sleeping bags
5. blankets
6. camping chairs
7. pillow
8. reading material

After scrambling for 15 minutes, phone goes off again "hey wes..its mark..thers only 6 people in line here...but i think you better come now...people from best buy might start coming over". I think I havne't mention this yet, Best Buy was getging 55 units, Future Shop was getting 30.

Out the door at 10:30, arrive at 10:50. #9, 10, 11 in line. Time to get settled in for a long night. The first hour and a half consisted of:
1. talking about how excited we were for the Wii
2. talking about what games we will get
3. talking about reviews about the games we've read
4. talking about games that could be good
5. talking about zelda...and zelda...and zelda
6. talking about accessories that we will get along with the console
7. looking through a wii launch day flyer from EBGames

The line did not get significantly longer from our arrival until around 2am. The line reached 20 at around 2:30/3:00 am. At around 1:30am, a cop came by just to see the line, and jokes were made about him kicking us out for trespassing. He said he would come by again at around 4 or 5 but never did. We all figured he had to stay at the Best Buy because the line reached 85 at max. The entertainment department manager came by at 2am on his way home from somewhere to say hi and chatted for a little while, so that was interesting.

Midnight - 4am consisted of:
1. Attempting to read the book but it was too difficult to flip pages with gloves, and hands got cold too easy without gloves, so I gave up
2. Being wrapped in 2 hoodies and a sleeping bag and trying to fall asleep but failing

4am - 7am - aka the longest hours of the wait. After being in line for 5 hours, the line finally reached 30 people at around 5am. So we would've been able to get a system if we stuck to the plan we made 1 week ago! Dang it! At least we get first choice of games and accessories! People keep coming in, and we alternate between being very nice to them about them not getting a console, or mildly sarcastic regarding the line situation. Some stubborn people stayed despite being told they are in the 40s in the line up and they will not get a system, while some were smart and drove home and probably got in their comfy beds and went back to sleep. Those 3 hours consisted of:

1. 3-4 different Timmys/McD's run
2. Actually falling asleep for an hour and a half, but being woken up by a mildly disturbing joke.

7am - 8am - Finally! The last hour before they hand out tickets! Yes, this Futureshop opened at 10am, NOT 8am because of their store rating (hmm..can't really disclose this info..so thats all I'll say). No wonder our line was shorter! We had to wait an extra 2 hours! Oh..and we were also the store thats the most out of the way for people. This hour consisted of one thing - ticket is being given out soon, oh..and throwing donus at seagals...well...not at them, but for them.

8am - 10am - So tickets are given, people are turned away, some people try to sell their tickets (myself included) as a half joke half serious proposition. Some moms bring their kids there at 8-9am expecting to get a system...we laughed among ourselves about how naive some people are. Tickets given out, we were told we can go for some breakfast and return by 930. We decided to go to Best Buy, the one with 55 consoles, to see if there were any games/accessories remaining. Sweet! They still had Zelda in stock! AND at $49.99! A whole $10 cheaper than FutureShop. A copy each, back to FutureShop we go. Stood around for another 15 minutes, had to listen through a whole whopping 5 minute sales pitch of why we should buy the extended warranty. Each person in line were asked what items they wanted along with their console, and each package were prepared by staff so we can go in and come out within a span of 5 minutes.

As each person comes out of the store with a Wii in hand, we get a loud ovation from those still waiting. The term Wii-tards, refer to those who stands in line for hours for the Wii!

That was a long recap...Will I do it again? Probably not...unless the release is in the summer months. Did I regret doing it? Not at all. It was a wonderful experience, and why not experience this while my body can still take some punishment. All in all, it was an unforgetable experience.

Weeeeeee!/Wii!