For students camped out in front of Ralph’s at 3 a.m. on
Thursday, the waiting has been the hardest part. Clad in UCLA
sweatshirts and swaddled in sleeping bags, the 30-odd group of
people, many of them UCLA students, has formed a line that cannot
be missed. They are there for a reason: the PlayStation 3.
At 8 a.m today, Best Buy will open its doors to these cold,
huddled masses. Whether the next generation of the popular gaming
console will be waiting for them behind those doors remains a
mystery.
Only a small number of the students camped out will actually
have a chance of getting a PS3. With shortages already being
reported, Best Buy and other retailers will most likely have a few
dozen or fewer available for purchase on the day of release.
Despite advertising a minimum of 26 units, according to Daniel
Park, the general manager, only 16 units have actually arrived at
the time of this writing.
“I can’t guarantee any more than that,” Park
said, though more were expected to ship by today.
Like many others waiting in line, Ankit Patel, a fourth-year
molecular, cellular and developmental biology student, said this
shortage hardly comes as a surprise.
“We actually camped out in the parking lot; we started at
Monday at 4 a.m. We’re skipping classes, skipping work,
skipping anything,” Patel said. “We barely go the
bathroom. We’ll be the first to get it,” Patel
said.
Unfortunately for those lining up early, Best Buy still cannot
guarantee that people like Patel will have a PS3 when the store
opens.
Since the Westwood branch of Best Buy rents its space from the
same land manager for Ralph’s and the Expo Center, Best Buy
cannot permit a line to form near its doors.
“We first lined up in the parking lot on Monday,”
said Patel, “But they asked us to move. Now we’re on
public property.”
With no support from Best Buy in policing the growing line, the
students have taken it upon themselves to keep each other orderly.
According to Michael Wong, a fourth-year economics student, a
strict roll call is kept. “We take names every hour and a
half. If you aren’t here, you’re struck off the
list,” Wong said.
There are, of course, some exceptions.
“Midterms are very, very acceptable (reason) to leave the
line. We won’t penalize for midterms. You can’t miss a
midterm, but don’t go home and take a shower or sleep.
That’s just not fair,” Patel said.
Wong agreed with the group’s unwritten rules that, so far,
appear to be working.
“It’s a moral code of ethics you make up as you go
along,” Wong said. “We have to work
together.”
Not everyone is following this code, and there have been fears
that others might take advantage of the line’s unofficial
status.
Another group of people had formed a line in the parking lot
early Thursday morning despite seeing the one that had already
formed.
According to Jenesha Narayanan, a fourth-year molecular,
cellular and developmental biology student, the other group was
told to leave by security and Best Buy employees, but stayed
anyway. They didn’t leave until finally the police were
called.
But the threat remains.
“People in the line that broke up have been coming here
saying, “˜You know, 8 o’clock will get here and
we’re going to pull up right here and sprint
in,'” Patel said. “If (Best Buy) leaves it to
whoever gets here first, there’s going to be a horrible
situation.”
Complaints haven’t fallen on deaf ears, however.
In an attempt to curb any sort of confrontation, Best Buy agreed
to offer claim tickets at the current line location rather than
offering them in front of the store as originally planned.
Despite the extraordinary effort being put into obtaining the
PS3, for many of the people waiting so patiently in line, the PS3
offers benefits beyond a state-of-the-art gaming experience.
“I’m putting it on Ebay as soon as I get
home,” Patel said, “I’m more excited for
(Nintendo’s) Wii. The games are definitely better.”