Monday, Ryan went to the stores I suggested only to find empty shelves. Toys R Us did have one in reserve but would only sell it to him if he bought two additional games and a year subscription to X-box Live. It was only then that we realized just how serious the situation had become. The Man had declared war on the little guy with this disgusting abuse of power.
Not giving in to the Man’s demands, Ryan searched on, traveling to every conceivable X-box vendor in the city. All he found were dusty outlines where X-box packages once were. One gangly teen working at GameStop told him that for 10% down he could reserve one for Friday. I told him he may be better off just ordering one on-line and having it overnighted.
While Ryan went to the gym to blow off some steam, I decided to call Electronics Boutique and verify this was reliable plan. Their website claimed several new systems were available for immediate purchase. However when I spoke to their representative, Noah, he confirmed our worst fears:
The X-box shortage is real.
(stay tuned for Part III, Things Get Really Very Ugly)