First of all, let me repeat one more time that MICROSOFT EMPLOYEES DO NOT GET XBOX360’s. We have to wait in line just like everyone else if we want one. Why? "Customers first" is the mantra. Nor do we get them at a discount. If you’ve done even the smallest amount of research, you should know that we sell the hardware at a loss, using the razors for razor blades model.
That being said, last Saturday, I waited in line with some 150 people at the West Los Angeles Best Buy for what the Internet posted as, "64 available consoles".
…and it was singularly the most awful night I’ve ever experienced.
I’m not even going to go into the individuals that "reeked of body odor" or the mothers who "wouldn’t shut up about how awful their ex-husbands were" or the fat woman (you know who you are) who wouldn’t stop screaming about how her kid was sick and it was unfair to make her stand in line with everyone else, blah blah blah. I’m just talking about the weather. It was really cold, wet, and windy – very unusual for Los Angeles. And for the first time in a overnight sit, I was very underprepared.
I’m a veteran of these sort of "sits" where you wait for things like Central Ticket Office "UCLA vs Duke" Basketball tickets, or KROQ Weenie Roast tickets at Ticketmaster, or the Original XBox at Circuit City, or the Furbies at ToysRUS or seats at the Mann Village for "Star Wars the Phantom Menace"… I’ve done it all. But this was just horrific. I had 4 layers on, including a windproof jacket, a thick sweatshirt, another sweatshirt with a hoodie, a skimask, an umbrella for the rain, and a towel to sit on. Not enough.
My teeth were chattering most of the night. When the rain hit, the couple next to me just put their blankets over their head and prayed it would stop. The guys with tents just zipped up and hunkered down. I finally broke ranks, bribed someone to hold my spot, (having an extra copy of Jade Empire amongst video game nuts is a good thing) and relocated my car to an illegal parking spot where I could just hop in next to my place in line, turn on the engine, and crank up the heat to stay warm.
To all of you that didn’t get one and waited in line, I’m truly sorry you missed out however YOU ALL KNEW FROM 9:00PM THE NIGHT BEFORE YOU WEREN’T GETTING ONE – the Best Buy management team there told you so, so you wasted your own time on your own and have no one else to blame. Everyone that was there from 9:00PM and onward got one… I should know… I was the LAST PERSON to get an XBox that morning. I still can’t understand why y’all stuck around.
I waited for the FIRST launch of the XBox360 and it was very ambiguous as to who would get XBoxes. After waiting in line all night, then watching easily 20 unfairly people cut in line in front of us, I ended up being #100 and there were only 92 to hand out. I think everyone in the line that didn’t get one had a case to be upset that night… however, during this sit, it was 100% clear who would and who wouldn’t get one and for those of you who are complaining about it, you did it to yourselves.
kurtsh
Kurt Shintaku's Blog 
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