Another wave of Xbox 360 consoles hit U.S. stores recently. Best Buy horded its allotment for its Sunday ad, but word leaked onto the Internet. So those in the know lined up the day before, meaning anyone who actually saw the Sunday circular in the paper probably walked away empty-handed. There were some other sad and funny consequences:
- According to one report, folks who camped out at a Best Buy in White Marsh, Md., were ordered the night before the sale to disperse or be cited for trespassing. When they returned at the appointed hour of 4 a.m., a new line had formed. The groups tried to work out a fair agreement, but ultimately police were asked to intervene and turned their batons on the mob. Threats of pepper spray and dogs were also made but never enacted.
- In Anchorage, Alaska, a group of five successful 360 purchasers tried to scalp some systems to those still in line. When they failed, they went to a nearby McDonald's and entrusted the consoles to a 14-year-old who stayed behind in the car. Turns out, robbers had followed them and jacked four of the 360s at gunpoint. The boy held onto one that had been stashed out of view.
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