A better, brighter DSF lineup idea
While I'm not sure of all the logistics to make this work perfectly, but I think I actually like the idea of a lottery system.
Ideal:
1- You sign up online (or go into the store and sign up if they want foot traffic) starting a week before release.
2- You sign up with YOUR name, and YOUR Email address. Winners are notified by Email, must show ID to get wristband/voucher
3- The day before the release, 400 winners are randomly picked (see below for reasoning of 400)
4- Day of sale is as they do it now- show up by 5:30, in line, in numerical order. You flash your ID to prove you were the person signing up and get your wristband.
Here's a breakdown if rules and what I see are the benefits:
One pin of each type per person. That way more people that want these can actually get them.
Doing it this way prevents things like one person bringing a family of 5 + 8 friends so they can get 26 pins to sell on eBay. I see this as the main thing they have to stop... If you want to re-sell pins, that's fine. But coming up with ways to stock-pile 10% of the release is just ridiculous
#1 above prevents camping out, gives people several days to get to the store and sign up, and still gets foot traffic in the store in a reasonable fashion during normal business hours. Even cooler if they allow an online signup, but I can see how they'd like the extra bodies in the store.
#2 prevents someone from getting 100 different people to sign up for them. Unless those people are willing still come down and buy (this can't be completely eliminated I suppose), it won't do any good to have family members that live all over the US sign up for them. And you can't sell your spot if you win. If you win and you can't make it, then you don't get pins and your spot is automatically awarded to someone at the end of the line.
#3 Choose 400 winners (or 200 if you leave the sales 2-per person) so the first 300 are guaranteed a set, and the remaining 100 are already in place to get whatever is left... Also if some amount of numbers 1-300 don't show up, those spots are immediately filled by the 301+ peeps...
#4 works as always except for showing ID to prove you were the person that signed up.
For children without IDs, a parent with the same last name must be present, or the parent can sign up for them if the parent isn't into this whole craziness...
Pros- eliminates (or at least cuts down) the large groups camping out and buying up a large portion of the pins
Eliminates camping out all together
Gives people with limited free time a chance to get pins
Cons- Well, eliminates camping out to guarantee you get pins... There's no way to insure you get them, it's all down to chance.
In some ways, more work for the DSF employeees... Maintaining a list, contacting winners, checking IDs... The ID thing could be scrapped, but then I see the problem of people getting every single person they know to sign up just to give them a better chance at winning a slot... The list, drawing and contacting could be automated, but that system would have to created/purchased and maintained...
If 10,000 people actually sign up, chances of winning are of course rather small...
There's probably more Pros/Cons, but I thought I'd throw this out there and see what people think... It's a system that has been used for ticketed events many times in the past, and seems to largely work well and helps cut down scalpers (sharks). It'll help some (people that can't camp out anyway), it'll hurt some (people that live for camping in alleys), but might be the fairest solution that works for everyone, even if you don't really like it.
Ideal:
1- You sign up online (or go into the store and sign up if they want foot traffic) starting a week before release.
2- You sign up with YOUR name, and YOUR Email address. Winners are notified by Email, must show ID to get wristband/voucher
3- The day before the release, 400 winners are randomly picked (see below for reasoning of 400)
4- Day of sale is as they do it now- show up by 5:30, in line, in numerical order. You flash your ID to prove you were the person signing up and get your wristband.
Here's a breakdown if rules and what I see are the benefits:
One pin of each type per person. That way more people that want these can actually get them.
Doing it this way prevents things like one person bringing a family of 5 + 8 friends so they can get 26 pins to sell on eBay. I see this as the main thing they have to stop... If you want to re-sell pins, that's fine. But coming up with ways to stock-pile 10% of the release is just ridiculous
#1 above prevents camping out, gives people several days to get to the store and sign up, and still gets foot traffic in the store in a reasonable fashion during normal business hours. Even cooler if they allow an online signup, but I can see how they'd like the extra bodies in the store.
#2 prevents someone from getting 100 different people to sign up for them. Unless those people are willing still come down and buy (this can't be completely eliminated I suppose), it won't do any good to have family members that live all over the US sign up for them. And you can't sell your spot if you win. If you win and you can't make it, then you don't get pins and your spot is automatically awarded to someone at the end of the line.
#3 Choose 400 winners (or 200 if you leave the sales 2-per person) so the first 300 are guaranteed a set, and the remaining 100 are already in place to get whatever is left... Also if some amount of numbers 1-300 don't show up, those spots are immediately filled by the 301+ peeps...
#4 works as always except for showing ID to prove you were the person that signed up.
For children without IDs, a parent with the same last name must be present, or the parent can sign up for them if the parent isn't into this whole craziness...
Pros- eliminates (or at least cuts down) the large groups camping out and buying up a large portion of the pins
Eliminates camping out all together
Gives people with limited free time a chance to get pins
Cons- Well, eliminates camping out to guarantee you get pins... There's no way to insure you get them, it's all down to chance.
In some ways, more work for the DSF employeees... Maintaining a list, contacting winners, checking IDs... The ID thing could be scrapped, but then I see the problem of people getting every single person they know to sign up just to give them a better chance at winning a slot... The list, drawing and contacting could be automated, but that system would have to created/purchased and maintained...
If 10,000 people actually sign up, chances of winning are of course rather small...
There's probably more Pros/Cons, but I thought I'd throw this out there and see what people think... It's a system that has been used for ticketed events many times in the past, and seems to largely work well and helps cut down scalpers (sharks). It'll help some (people that can't camp out anyway), it'll hurt some (people that live for camping in alleys), but might be the fairest solution that works for everyone, even if you don't really like it.