How should I buy this game?

[Keebler]

The fact that this game is being released on Black Friday, when I am home for Thanksgiving break, makes this kind of difficult for me.

I was planning on preordering/buying this game in-store at an EBGames/Gamestop here in Pittsburgh so I was assured a copy on the release day. Well, now that release date is when I'm home in New Jersey so I can't go in-store to preorder.

I could preorder it online, but I am VERY apprehensive about preordering video games online - I don't buy the fact that it will be at your door on the day of release. Plus, if there was to be even a ONE DAY delay in the shipping date of the game, it would get delivered to my home in NJ on the next business day, which is Monday, when I'll be back at school.

So, what should I do? Have a family member preorder it for me in-store in NJ, or should I trust the online retailers to deliver it to my NJ home on the release date? Give me your video game ordering expertise, if you will.

[AdamBomb629]

Definately get it pre-ordered in NJ. I don't know of any online retailer that get games to you on street date without splurging for overnight shipping.

[masterx1918]

i'm in a similar predictiment. I think i'm going to pre-order it form gamestop then pick it up on friday afternoon.

[toefer]

The fact that this game is being released on Black Friday, when I am home for Thanksgiving break, makes this kind of difficult for me.

I was planning on preordering/buying this game in-store at an EBGames/Gamestop here in Pittsburgh so I was assured a copy on the release day. Well, now that release date is when I'm home in New Jersey so I can't go in-store to preorder.

I could preorder it online, but I am VERY apprehensive about preordering video games online - I don't buy the fact that it will be at your door on the day of release. Plus, if there was to be even a ONE DAY delay in the shipping date of the game, it would get delivered to my home in NJ on the next business day, which is Monday, when I'll be back at school.

So, what should I do? Have a family member preorder it for me in-store in NJ, or should I trust the online retailers to deliver it to my NJ home on the release date? Give me your video game ordering expertise, if you will.

I'm in the same boat. I'm in North Carolina for school, but will be home in New York for Thanksgiving. I'm really thinking of doing the whole online pre-order though.

Sure, it costs more to get overnight shipping, but Gamestop.com is offering the 1-day/overnight shipping for only $9.99. That seems kind of like a deal for me, assuming you don't pay the tax online*.

$179.98 online, for overnight, or $169.99+ tax for an in-store pre-order.

So basically, they guarantee it will ship out on Thursday, and show up on Friday, and if it doesn't they jokingly apologize and give you a refund on the shipping.

I figure I'll do that, and if it doesn't show up Friday, I'll search every store in my area for a copy of RB and buy another copy. When the online one finally shows up, I'll just return it to the store I bought the 2nd copy from (if that makes sense), because it will likely be a chain (Wal-Mart, BestBuy, Circuit City, etc) that will also be in North Carolina, so I can return it with a receipt, when I get back to school.

*As a business grad student, I do realize that we are obligated to submit the sales tax for things we buy online, to our respective state/local g'ments, but seriously, who does that?

[battle_axe_of_doom]

no way i can pre-order this ****. i already pre-ordered mass effect which is coming out the week before, gh3 will probably cost me some money, and who knows what other game i might have to get

[Keebler]

I'm in the same boat. I'm in North Carolina for school, but will be home in New York for Thanksgiving. I'm really thinking of doing the whole online pre-order though.

Sure, it costs more to get overnight shipping, but Gamestop.com is offering the 1-day/overnight shipping for only $9.99. That seems kind of like a deal for me, assuming you don't pay the tax online*.

$179.98 online, for overnight, or $169.99+ tax for an in-store pre-order.

So basically, they guarantee it will ship out on Thursday, and show up on Friday, and if it doesn't they jokingly apologize and give you a refund on the shipping.

I figure I'll do that, and if it doesn't show up Friday, I'll search every store in my area for a copy of RB and buy another copy. When the online one finally shows up, I'll just return it to the store I bought the 2nd copy from (if that makes sense), because it will likely be a chain (Wal-Mart, BestBuy, Circuit City, etc) that will also be in North Carolina, so I can return it with a receipt, when I get back to school.

*As a business grad student, I do realize that we are obligated to submit the sales tax for things we buy online, to our respective state/local g'ments, but seriously, who does that?

Oh wow, I didn't even consider online + overnight shipping = in-store + tax. That makes things a little interesting.

[AdamBomb629]

The online price actually is $169.99 + $9.99 overnight shipping + $9.99 handling charge (see product page).

EDIT: Actually, it's $169.99 + $9.99 overnight shipping + $12.99 handling charge + TAX?!?! I'll go in-store.

[toefer]

The online price actually is $169.99 + $9.99 overnight shipping + $9.99 handling charge (see product page).

EDIT: Actually, it's $169.99 + $9.99 overnight shipping + $12.99 handling charge + TAX?!?! I'll go in-store.

Interesting. Thanks for finding that AdamBomb. The $10 shipping seemed a little too good/cheap to be true.

I filled out the entire order, before committing a CC #, and it came to $208 and some change, for anyone interested.

That means I'll be trying to arrange an in-store pre-order.

Anyone know if you can transfer a pre-order from one GameStop to another? If so, I guess that's one nice thing about them buying out EB (NY had a lot of EB's, not GameStops...vice versa down in NC)

[Chris_Gonzalez]

Crap, this means I can't get the game on time. With my luck, I'll be in Arkansas at my dad's house when Black Friday comes around, or (even more likely), he'll be over here. Since he's getting it for me for Christmas, and I'm getting myself my own copy (no one else has a PS3 in my group of friends, so I'm getting 2 sets so we can have guitar, vocal, and drum battles and also full band play) on release day. No way am I going to be able to sneak a giant box of Rock Band stuff past him. I can always get it after he leaves over that weekend, but I doubt it, because they only hold pre orders for 3 days after release. >_<

[Eman311]

The fact that this game is being released on Black Friday, when I am home for Thanksgiving break, makes this kind of difficult for me.

I was planning on preordering/buying this game in-store at an EBGames/Gamestop here in Pittsburgh so I was assured a copy on the release day. Well, now that release date is when I'm home in New Jersey so I can't go in-store to preorder.

I could preorder it online, but I am VERY apprehensive about preordering video games online - I don't buy the fact that it will be at your door on the day of release. Plus, if there was to be even a ONE DAY delay in the shipping date of the game, it would get delivered to my home in NJ on the next business day, which is Monday, when I'll be back at school.

So, what should I do? Have a family member preorder it for me in-store in NJ, or should I trust the online retailers to deliver it to my NJ home on the release date? Give me your video game ordering expertise, if you will.
I am in the same dilemma, except home for me compared to school is a 20 minute train ride, not quite as bad. In your case i'd preorder online and have it shipped to school.

Can't preorder at home unless you want to go out and get it Black Friday
Can't preorder at a local store at school because you won't be there friday, and I can totally see them selling your copy.
Don't preorder online and have it shipped home cuz you're right, it definetly won't show up on time.

[Eman311]

I'm in the same boat. I'm in North Carolina for school, but will be home in New York for Thanksgiving. I'm really thinking of doing the whole online pre-order though.

Sure, it costs more to get overnight shipping, but Gamestop.com is offering the 1-day/overnight shipping for only $9.99. That seems kind of like a deal for me, assuming you don't pay the tax online*.

$179.98 online, for overnight, or $169.99+ tax for an in-store pre-order.

So basically, they guarantee it will ship out on Thursday, and show up on Friday, and if it doesn't they jokingly apologize and give you a refund on the shipping.

I figure I'll do that, and if it doesn't show up Friday, I'll search every store in my area for a copy of RB and buy another copy. When the online one finally shows up, I'll just return it to the store I bought the 2nd copy from (if that makes sense), because it will likely be a chain (Wal-Mart, BestBuy, Circuit City, etc) that will also be in North Carolina, so I can return it with a receipt, when I get back to school.

*As a business grad student, I do realize that we are obligated to submit the sales tax for things we buy online, to our respective state/local g'ments, but seriously, who does that?

Amazon is 15 for 1day/overnight, but at the same time it says it won't arrive until Monday the 26th. Does gamestop give you an estimated arrival?

[toefer]

Amazon is 15 for 1day/overnight, but at the same time it says it won't arrive until Monday the 26th. Does gamestop give you an estimated arrival?

GameStop implies you'll get it on the release date. If you order before X date, at Y time, it will ship out on the 22nd (or so it claims), and show up on the 23rd.

[ThePaska]

I pre-ordered it from Amazon but I'm becoming concerned, I'm not sure if it was a good idea or not. When I have pre-ordered in the past places have sent the game out so that it arrives on or around the sell date. So in this case it would be the 23rd or 24th.

But as of now Amazon is saying it will ship on the 23rd or so. I also chose to do free shipping because I figured why not and they would just send it like a week early to me and it would arrive around the time the game was supposed to come out (since it says it takes 9-15 days).

Now it's telling me that the game will come between 11/30/2007 and 12/04/2007, and I really hope that isn't true...I may have to cancel my Amazon order.

Has anyone ever pre-ordered from Amazon in this manner and can tell me if It I should be concerned about it or not?

[Keebler]

I just asked my mom to preorder it for me at home at one of my local Gamestop/EBGames'.

I guess I will be staying up all-night after Thanksgiving and picking it up on Black Friday. :) :) :)

[peachpunker63]

I always get my games from ebgames with overnight shipping because they are amazingly good with shipping stuff. I you get it from them and have it shipped to your home, it will deffinately show up on the 23rd. It might be around 5 or 6 at night but at least you will get it upon release. I have just emailed eb games about if it will ship to me on the 23rd because of black friday. So once i hear word from them ill let you all know what they say about it.:)