Originally Posted by JGordon
I'm a little confused about why this is so bad. It sounds to me like they don't want to advertise the Xbox's so that they don't get the massive lines forming and end up sending away a bunch potential costumers with empty hands and a foul mood. The Xboxs will still sell out instantaneously I'm sure -- it will just save Best Buy the hassle of having way more customers than product. Not issuing rain checks makes sense since Best Buy cannot guarantee availabilty of this product -- which is a Microsoft problem, not Best Buy's fault.
What am I missing?
First, it's not a Microsoft "problem" it's called Microsoft "control". They are doing it on purpose to keep people on their toes and keep demand sky high. Thus they are making it so they make sure they sell out and don't have any extras AND to create a ton of free press about the "shortage".
Second, as stated above, it's not to just ease the pressure on Best Buy, it's to get customers roped in and taken to a special sales area. Then they are pressured into buying more accessories and games than they need. It's a sales thing, not a "lets make this easier on the people" thing. They are doing it to try and corral people and take as much money from them in the process.