I love camping for things. I have been doing it for 20 years for the things I love. This time around, I got really lucky with my store’s inventory numbers, and not only did I get one for myself, I was able to buy 5 other systems and ship them out to people here on reddit that didn’t have my luck. "Luck" is the operative word, though, as my area was really weird. I would like to hear other peoples’ experiences with inventory numbers, or just the experience you had buying the system.

I have 7 local Wal-Marts, and 5 local Targets. I have two Best Buys, and probably 8-10 Gamestops, but I didn’t bother with any of those, Wal-Mart was my maybe, and Target was my probably. So, of my 7 Wal-Marts, 4 of them got none at all, one of them got 8, one got 15, and the third one had/has stock, but I did not get a number. Here’s the really weird part. The store that got 15 is a low volume, kind of low traffic store, and one of the stores that got none is one of the highest volume stores on the entire east coast, like number three or something. Of my 6 Targets, numbers were: yes (but we can’t tell you how many), 6, 11, 0, and 8. I didn’t even call the sixth store, I didn’t particularly want to go to that one. I actually think there is a 7th, but I forgot it even existed until just now.

I picked the Wal-Mart with 15, a 24hr store, and got there around 9:40pm Thursday night. By midnight, I remained the only one there for it. So, I bought mine, and one for someone on reddit. Later Friday morning, they were still showing stock, and someone else wanted one, so I went back over and kicked up another. I think there were 6 left. Saturday morning around 4am, I went over to buy two more for someone here on reddit, at which point they still had 4. Came home, got in the door, someone else messaged me, so I went back out. Around 5am, my store that had gotten 15 was down to the last one, someone bought one after I last left the store. So, I bought the last system, having bought 6 total of their 15, which lasted almost two days. That stock had no business lasting that long. Meanwhile, there were actually lines at Targets around here, and the stock dwindled quickly.

So, what have been everyone else’s experiences? Provide any stock numbers you may have been given. Discuss this debacle with friends, in this safe space.