Today is 09.09.09, which means The Beatles Remasters and Rock Band are officially on store shelves. I was down at HMV’s flagship Toronto store bright and early with a pal to pick up both the Stereo set and the standalone video game. There were quite a few people waiting around to pick up theirs as well. When the doors opened at 9am, we made a beeline straight for the cash registers where there were stacks and stacks of box sets waiting. The only possible snafu that could have occurred was that the majority of the sets had white papers around them, signifying that these had been pre-ordered and put on hold. Luckily the box set of choice for both of us were the stereo sets, which there were an abundance of ready for walk in customers. I’m glad I had decided to not pick up the Mono set because they seem to have all been accounted for by pre-orders.
After our HMV excursion we immediately dashed over to Future Shop and got into line so that my friend could purchase a copy of the Beatles Rock Band bundle, complete with Paul McCartney bass and Ringo drum kit. She’s hardcore that way. It was interesting to note that while there was no mention of stock for the Rock Band bundles for any of gaming system, there was a sign on the front door that notified customers that this Future Shop location only 1 copy of the Mono box and 2 copies of the Stereo Box Set. We were second in line and weren’t too worried about getting the bundle of choice, but I did find it amusing when a fellow showed up about a half-hour before the store opening and started taking a poll of people who were in line in front of him wanting to purchase the Mono set. It looked like he was the first.
Future Shop opened at 9:55 and my friend immediately headed towards the gaming section to find her bundle, of which there were more than enough for the the first 10 or 15 custmers in the store. However, what wasn’t so visible were any of the box sets, stereo or mono! I watched as the fellow from the line-up walked panicked through the aisles, looking for a set or even someone to help him. I don’t know what actually became of him or if he got his treasured Mono box.
So that’s the story so far. I’ll have lots more from 09.09.09 later today and tomorrow. In the meantime, check out the final Beatles video we’ll be highlighting, courtesy of the fine folks at EMI. It’s a promo video for You’re Gonna Lose That Girl.
http://www.youtube.com/get_player
