Boxing day ... To freeze or not to freeze

[Sniper_13]

So this morning i got up at 7am to make it to Canada Computers to buy me self a new mouse and keyboard , they have a good deal on a Razer Mamba for 84$ and a Lycosa for 59$.

I got there around 7:30am and noticed the biggest line up i have ever seen in my life, i just laughed at the poor souls freezing their a** off in -15c weather for some pettie sales, turned right around and went home.

Then if you think about it, is it really worth standing in line for more than 1 hour in -15c weather for saving lets say 50$.. imho i don't think so, i rather walk into the store the next day and buy the **** product for full price with dignity. I just don't understand why people are such sheeps when it comes to boxing day, when the same product will be prob be the same price after new years.

The Worst part is, the store can fit about 100+ people and they let in only 10 at a time, and they know very well how cold its out there and how long people have been waiting, just hire a couple security guards and let me more people in, like to me that shows that companies don't care for their customers.

So what im doing now is waiting here in my comfy chair, and calling once in a while to find out how big the line up is, and if they still have the mouse im gonna in quick buy it and get the **** out of there.

Just my few cents, has anyone else experienced this?

 

[KSoD]

This is what we get every year in the states right after our Thanksgiving. Black Friday as it is referred to is this holiday to us in teh states. We already had it.

As far as only letting in a few people, that can be due to capacity limit as well. We had to have people waiting outside at our store on Black Friday, due to the fact if we let more in it would be considered a hazard. So as people left we could let more in. So it isnt just the company being pricks, it does have an alternate purpose as well.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

I have seen plenty of stores let everyone in... It usually results in police/ambulances and sometimes someone dieing at the doors.

If a store is having a "sale" they should have enough for everyone expected to show up, the manufactures and stores know what everyone is going for, and have enough sales records to back everything up, why they have such stupid sales still baffles me.

Most notably, the type of sell a store only has 5 items of, for like 60% off, advertise it for two weeks, then let 100+ people run through a door all at once, that kinda crap needs to stop.

 

[Oreo]

To be honest, i don't see the problem. Sure -15 is cold but if you put the right clothes on it's not a problem at all. People ski and snowboard for 8 hours a day in temperatures colder than that with no problem.

 

[Kharn]

To be honest, i don't see the problem. Sure -15 is cold but if you put the right clothes on it's not a problem at all. People ski and snowboard for 8 hours a day in temperatures colder than that with no problem.

Think about that for a second, most people who are involved in sports like that expect it to be cold but Joe average won't they are used to short term exposure no longer than the walk from the car park to the heated shop and the short walk from shop A to shop B, they will mostly wear a thin jumper and a jacket that is OK for a light shower possibly a hat as well that isn't sufficient for that temperature not in the slightest. So waiting outside in -15c is a bit extreme and should not be allowed to happen.

 

[Oreo]

It's not the shops fault average Joe is unprepared, though. I'm sorry but if it's -15c out side and you know theres even a small chance you could be queuing, dress accordingly. Some skin tight thermal vests and then a coat would keep you plenty warm in that situation if people bothered.

 

[KSoD]

I have seen plenty of stores let everyone in... It usually results in police/ambulances and sometimes someone dieing at the doors.

If a store is having a "sale" they should have enough for everyone expected to show up, the manufactures and stores know what everyone is going for, and have enough sales records to back everything up, why they have such stupid sales still baffles me.

Most notably, the type of sell a store only has 5 items of, for like 60% off, advertise it for two weeks, then let 100+ people run through a door all at once, that kinda crap needs to stop.

I kinda agree. But at the same time how do you prepare for such? I mean you dont know how many people will be there that will want said items. So how can you possibly know if the supply of 150 units of this product will be enough to meet the demands of the people that are going to come for the sale when they see the advertisement. There is no way to know. Last year's sales numbers and even the past sales numbers are in no way a reflection of what you will do for that specific sale. I can vouch for this working at Walmart.

I can flat out tell you that we had the 1 laptop at an everyday price of $348. Black Friday it went on sale for $288. Just $50 off. We sold only about 100 units total the entire time we carried the unit. But that day we sold out within an hour of the 150+ units we had and we still had people asking for them for the entire week. How could we have prepared to hold such stock when the numbers are no where close when the savings wasnt that great.

So you cant say that the store should have enough. Cause when it comes to sales like Boxing Day and Black Friday, everything you think you know goes out the window. There is nothing that you can do to prepare for such days. We had 300 units of a 32" Vizio LCD TV and we sold out by 8AM. We had people looking for them all week. No way you can prepare for that kinda thing. We couldnt sell 300 Units again till next Black Friday but we sold that many in 1 day.

The part i agree with is the advertising of a great deal where there is only a limited quantity. Saturday we had a sale going on but right in the ad it said "Limit 5 per store". WTF is that? 5 units per store? That is nothing when the item is on sale for 50% off. That kind of advertising does need to stop. It bugs the living heck outta me and only makes my job harder.

It isnt the shops fault Oreo, but it is the shop that will pay the price when they get sued for the death or injury of that person. Open a shop, have a sale where people are waiting outside and have someone get frost bite cause of it. Do you really think you will have a shop for long when word gets out that A.) you got sued cause you had a death at your store and B.) you response was "It's not my fault you didn't prepare for the weather". It doesnt matter if you think your going to que or not. There is no way to know. We had people waiting outside at midnight for sales that started at 5AM. How could anyone possibly know that they would have to wait 5 hours outside? You dont know. Just like i said above about having an inventory. You never know.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

Well, they could atleast do what is done during console launches, a ticket system, for the said item, though it's more work for the employees, it can help cut down on the 100+ people all running to the same item.

 

[KSoD]

We do that. We had such a system in place. We print out a sticker that cant be photocopied cause it doesnt copy right, place it on a index card and put a number on it. We print out exactly how many we have and we even take a name down as well. That way we can match the number up to the name.

The problem is that the people in line dont know how many we have, nor do they know how many we have handed out. So there is no way for them to know that the item they are looking for is no longer available till they get inside and get to the line that corresponds to the item they are looking for. Even if we try to communicate how many we have left at any given point, it still doesnt help cause the demand can die down, it can speed up or it can altogether stop.

Even having a ticket system doesnt prevent people from running around. Cause at a place like Walmart they are not there just for 1 item. They are there for multiple items. So they want to get their ticket and go to the next line to get the next item. If we hold them in that line, then they get irrate cause they cant get the other items. Which causes more tension on the people they are in line currently with. Cause you dont know if this person will snap and start striking people cause of their state.

Believe me, 8 years in a Walmart has shown me that there is nothing that you can do to prepare for such events. Cause you never know what will happen. I have seen fights break out in lines cause people were upset cause they couldnt get other items, cause the person in front of them got the last item, cause they had to go to the bathroom and no one saved their spot. You would be surprised how silly and idiotic these things can get. You can try to come up with ideas when your not part of it. You can say what you want about it. But until you are in the middle of it and experience it for yourself, you really dont have a clue whats going on. There is nothing like it in the world and there is no way to explain it in words. I have tried my best to come up with ways to make this type of event go smoothly. Tickets, Specific lines, I hand out tickets and give out the item to the person i gave the ticket to when they cash out. Nothing helps. These things are outta control, cause you never know who or what your going to deal with.

 

[Oreo]

You Americans are crazy

I don't think I've ever seen people queue outside a shop bar on three occasions, console launches, iPhone launches, and game launches. Every other time no matter what the sale people just turn up at normal times.

Anyway i still think it's nothing to do with the shop if its cold and people are queuing outside. The people don't have to queue, and if it's cold outside you should always prepare for the worst. Maybe if it was a blizzard and people were queuing and got stuck with no where else to go then the shop should let them in, otherwise it's your own fault for standing there.