Wednesday - November 15, 2006

[Preparation ... and so it begins]

The PS3 launch drew nearer the lines started to form (some a week ahead of the launch date), the eBay auctions for pre-orders were selling around $2,000 - $3,000, the Japan launch was hectic already so what were we expecting here?

JC, Arvin and myself headed down to our planned campout location, Turnersville, NJ. There was a 24 hour Walmart there that I had "scoped out" and thought it would be a good place to wait in line. Months and months of planning went into this, I chose this location because it was away from the city, the population density was fairly low, the area was nice (seemed safe) and it looked like our best shot at getting a PS3 on launch.

I spoke to the manager a few weeks prior and they had told me that they were expecting 14 units, and if I arrived at noontime on the 16th, I should be able to get one. Well I was planning to be there at 8pm on the 15th, just to make sure.

[Change of plans]

We got to the Walmart in Turnersville early, around 6:30pm. In the parking lot there were already kids waiting in by their cars, about 20 of them. They had signs on their car windows with their "number in line." We went into Walmart and I spoke to a few managers asking about the launch. They told me that no line would be allowed until 7am on the 16th and it would be a line outside in the front entrance. Ok, we figure we could just wait the night and get in line at 7am. I asked the managers about the "numbers" on the car windows and they told me that the numbers mean nothing, it's the first ones who are in line at 7am. They weren't even certain of the amount of units they were getting, and from other stories I've read it seemed that WalMart hadn't even received their shipment of PS3's.

After eating we thought it would be a good idea to skip the midnight launches and try for the 8am launches instead. Went to a few Targets and saw lines already waiting ... our best bet was to be the first couple of people in line, if not then we wouldn't even get the system. I had a list of about 200 stores within a 100 mile radius, and we started to call the Targets. They all had more people waiting in line than they did units, except this one in Oaks, Pennsylvania.

[Next stop - Oaks, Pennsylvania]

Joe answers the phone and tells me that there was no line in front of his Target and they already have 8 units onhand, this was at 7:36pm. We rush, and I mean rush, to Oaks Target. The map said it was an hour away but we made it there in about 40 minutes. Called Joe one more time when we were 5-10 minutes away and he told us that there were two people on the line!!! Had to get there fast or else we wouldn't make it within the 8 units. After a very very very near accident, we got there and jumped on the line as number 4, 5 and 6. About 5 minutes after that number 7, 8 and 9 got on the line.

[36 hour bestfriends]

So began the campout. The manager told us that they had 8 units in the store and were expecting to get 2 20GB units in, but were not sure if they would come intime for the launch. The number 9 guy waited with his friends in hopes that he would get one too. The number 2 guy came with a friend (Jamiaca) but his friend was just going to stay there with him and not get a unit. The 10 people that were there started to talk and I thought it would be a good idea to get some "bracelets" with numbers on them so that we could all be "official."

After buying some Target packing tape, I went around and put it on everyone's wrist giving them their numbers. Jamaica wasn't going to get a system, but I gave him number ten, just incase the other 2 units would come in and he might want to sell his spot in line.

They were expecting to have a total of 10 units, and there were 10 people on the line. All 10 of us were going to be best friends for the next 36 hours. I've seen a lot of the videos where there was mass chaos trying to get a PS3 in some stores - some where managers would have everyone line up and race to get those precious seats in front of everyone, one where someone was pushed into a poll during the race, fights breaking out because people were trying to get into lines and so many different stories where people got hurt and went crazy.

The 10 of us in line would bond together and watched each other's back from the moment all of us were on that line. It wasn't what I expected where we would have to sit in our spots in the line or else we'd lose them. We had a great time, from trying to move our hotels in Monopoly, to trying to learn how to play soccer, throwing a football around, playing chess with oddly shaped pieces, playing spades while others tried to understand what was going on. We all had so much fun that night, we all just hung out and had a great time. There wasn't any worries of people cutting the line because we all had our "official bracelets." The 10 of us also talked and said that if anyone tried to cut the line, we would have each other's back, if anyone tried to cause any trouble we would definitely defend each other. The 10 of us got in that line within a 20 minute span and there was noway that anyone was going to mess up the order of our numbers.

We were also spending a lot of money at that Target, maybe that's one of the reasons why they were so nice to us!? We bought 4 tents from them, chairs, food, clothes, food, drinks, batteries and whatever else you could think of.

Thursday - November 16, 2006

[Wee hours of the morning]

Instead of sleeping that night, we mostly played football and soccer. Jamaica was trying to show us some soccer tricks and we tried it - some of us pulled it off and some of us just looked too funny trying. Throwing the football around in the empty parking lot and getting it throw into the wet grass kept us busy for a few hours - it was also a good way to keep ourselves warm.

Gail's tent being blown off off the grass and seeing it roll down the parking lot for a few seconds was also entertaining. Then setting it up right by the tree so she has a secret entrance through her SUV's door was also fun.

Hearing Randy, Tsai and Khong argue about not buying a blanket when Target was still open kept us awake. Good thing they brought the football - as I said it kept us busy for a while.

Sam was pretty quiet that night, maybe it was the shock of being number 1!?

Joe bringing the gazeebo was very useful, especially for what was going to be happening during the rest of the day.

Jamaica (Kharay) with the endless amounts of energy, and playing Monopoly with Sam until the early early hours of the morning - he also had an interview to go to!

Arvin and JC trying to learn the soccer tricks from Jamaica ... I think they need more practice. Arvin needs to curl them toes a little more.

I fell asleep around 3am but not long, I ended up waiting outside alone as everyone slowly started to go into their tents and cars to get as much sleep as they could get.

[Tornado watch]

One of our nice managers came by, Andrea. We cleared some of our tents so that we could make way for the customers coming in. She told us that the 2 20GB PS3's still have not arrived and that she would come by and check on us later to give us an update. The day seemed nice at first, just a little breezy.

Sam's tent started to blow away more and more as the morning passed into noontime. Jamaica got scared of the fast moving clouds. The weather reports before we got there said that there would be thunderstorms throughout the day but that was about it. We took down Randy and Gail's tents to make room for the customers, but as the winds picked up and we started to become aware of the weather we took down Sam's and our tent too. Leaving only Joe's tent which was under the gazeebo.

Most of us were under Joe's gazeebo trying to stay away from the wind ... then the rains came. On the news it said that there was a tornado watch and flash flood warnings. People came by telling us this same information but we weren't giving up our spots for some wet weather and some wind!

We collected the rain covers for some of our tents and wrapped it around the gazeebo trying to stay as dry as possible from the horizontal rain. The winds were gusting to about 40mph and trying to blow the tent and gazeebo away. It all started around noon and kept on going until around 6 or 7pm.

While the winds and the rain was coming down, shopping carts were flying all over the parking lot. We became temporary Target employees trying to run down the renagade carts from hitting the cars. Sam became the official Target cart guy who would gather the carts and put them all in one place.

We even saw Randy's chair trying to fly on it's own and almost wacking Joe's car.

One good thing was that we scored a free box of Capri Sun that fell of someone's cart because of the rain and wind.

The rain calmed down a little around 7 or 8pm and according to the forecast it was a very short break. The winds and the rain was supposed to go on into the early hours of the morning! No more football and soccer for us that night?!

Friday - November 17, 2006

[Countdown to 8am]

Andrea had come out a few times during the day and told us that the final 2 PS3's had come in, so everyone in that line with the "official bracelets" would be getting a system now! Jamaica sold his spot in line to my boss who really wanted the PS3 but just couldn't do the campout.

Later that night Ed, the other manager came out and they brought us some food! Hot dogs, chilli, cookies and popcorn! Ed also told us that they would put signs on the doors saying all the bracelets have been given out and we would be staying in our cars to stay out of the rain for the rest of the night. That was really nice of the management to do - so some of us stayed in our cars, and some of stayed in the line jus to hang out!

The rain and winds stopped earlier than expected and we were able to play football and soccer again! We played some music during the day because Jamaica had brought his backup power unit which would last in 30 minute intervals and then needed to be charged again! When Target closed for the night we used Joe's car to play some music and watched the videos we recorded and the pictures we took on my laptop for a good laugh.

I turned in early that night, needing some sleep since I was going to drive back to NY after we got the "goods." It was hard to sleep that night, not only because the car was uncomfortable but because I was excited about the 8am opening! Everytime I would wake up in the car I would jump up thinking that I missed the opening time.

Sunrise came and we all started to wake up and get back into our "line." Andrea brought out more food for us ... donuts (Jamaica's favorite) and coffee. You could tell everyone was excited and just waiting for the store to open so that we could finally get our PS3's - even if most of the ones there were selling them, there were a couple who are keeping them. They gave us our REAL OFFICIAL numbers and waited for the store to open.

Unlike the crainess that went on at other stores, this Target in particular was very well prepared and very nice to all of us who waited 36 hours. We calmly walked as one group (although some people went to the bathroom to do their business first) to the electonics department where our PS3's waited for us. One by one we bought our PS3's and instead of rushing off and going home, we all waited for each other ... made it out of the store and took a few final pictures before everyone parted their own way.

WIth all the hectic happenings all throughout the other PS3 launches, this had to be the most organized and calm out there. We were all strangers when we started that line, but within minutes we because best friends for 36 hours. Even after we all got our PS3's we are still going to stay friends and hopefully keep in touch. Maybe we'll all campout for something else one day!? Maybe we'll just campout in front of that Target together for no reason except to play football and soccer?

Well if there is another console launch, I know where I'm going to be going and hopefully the same 9 people will be there with me. Thank you to everyone that was in that line with me for 36 hours ... and thank you to the Target in Oaks, Pennsylvania. The managers and the employees were very nice and treated us very well. The customers were great too, especially Bob who loved to take pictures of us while his wife was inside shopping.

[Most memorable moments]

- the oddly shaped chess pieces

- Jamaica trying to show Arvin how to cradle the ball with his toes curled

- Sam's dad bringing donuts in the morning and Jamaica eating them all

- Gail giving us donuts and Jamaica eating them all

- Guy with the mustang saying how it sucked that he wouldn't get a PS3 even though he took off from work and skipped some school tests

- Free Capri Sun

- Randy's flying chair

- Gail's flying tent

- Sam's new job as the cart manager of Target

- Joe's windshield wipers, blinkers and horn going off as he slept in the drivers seat

- Bob coming to take pictures of us after he took some "stalker" pictures from across the parking lot

- The stop sign that 95% of the people didn't see

- Two G-Unit guys walking into Target

- Sam's tent almost blowing over

- The countless number of people who stared at us

- The people who were nice enough to wave back when I waved at them

- Gail's lucky poncho which would stop the rain whenever she wore it

- Free Target food

- Joe's soccer trick, off the wall and on top of the gazeebo