That's why I suggested not revealing _where_ the line will be. If you don't know where it is, you can't pre-line up or camp out for it at all... If people know where it is, they will always try to line up for it. Not matter that time is, someone will try to be there earlier... I don't think there's really a wy to prevent that if it's just first come, first served...
I find this suggestion having very few suggestions to refuse it?
Dodgers stadium fixed this problem years ago. I mentioned this, I think, last year in a thread. Neighbors of the stadium were pissed each year when 1000's of cars and people walking up the streets lined the streets for opening day tickets. Police were involved so the streets were safe. And no vehicle codes were broken and the pedestrians were safe in the streets and crossways.
For the past several years, they hand out wristbands between the hours of 8-9am. There is NO ADVANTAGE in getting there first or rushing to get in line. Everyone walked into 6 different lines. Mind you there are at least 2000 people there if not more. Once everyone has their wristbands, numbered 1 threw, lets say, 2000 are distributed. (They are not in numerical order so you and the person who came with you may have wristbands hundreds of numbers apart.) they call the 1st number sets in blocks. For Dodgers Stadium, its blocks of 100's.
For the DSF example,
Lets say Theresa keeps her 7am and 7pm rules. She predetermined that wristband are to be released on a Thursday.
She announces from the DSF Facebook and in store flyers what this months pins are to be.
(This is my guess. That there should be 200 wristbands? Based on last night, before the cut off, that would or may have been the max amount of people? And the recent trade morning there initially was less than 200? Before the Surprise pin announcement.). There may even be 400 wristbands depending on the pins released and people bringing multiple people with them for better odds.
At 7am Thursday, she hands out 100 wristbands. The wristbands are mixed up so even if you are a CKC member arriving first, you may get wristband #172 or #35 or #106?
At 7pm Thursday, she hands out 100 wristbands.
On Friday morning, the day of the release let's say 9:30 am, Theresa gets on her soapbox and randomly calls out numbers 151, 76, 1, 26, 175, 51, 101, 126". Now everyone gets in line numerically within those sets of numbers. These numbers are in different random orders each time wristbands are used. So even if a cast member leaks the number order (although, Theresa is the only one that knows them and picks them the morning of) a CKC member does not even have an advantage and a group or family are not all in the same "groups".
But having 200 numbers possible to call, it is broken into 8 sets. The sets are
1-25
26-50
51-75
76-100
101-125
126-150
151-175
175-200
For more popular releases, she can hand out 300, 400 wristbands depending on what specific pins/themes are announced. (I know your reading this Theresa so you know from the threads we chat and post about that you have a rough estimate of how many of us will be there).
Everyone having a non numerical order has equal chances of being first. And the same odds of being last. Now to get better odds of getting a better number, there will be more people coming to the wristband releases. If I go alone, I have a maximum 25% chance if 200 are handed out of being in the first set in line. But if I take a friend, retired father and wife with me, I have up to 50% chance of being in the first called set of numbers. And that is not saying that myself and wife randomly get #127 and #143. This would mean that we are in the same set of the blocks of numbers and reduces the 50% chance.
Now in the numbers Theresa called out in the example above, blocks #101-125 and #126-150, on an LE 300 release may not get any pins and are in the standby line. If a Surprise Release is announced, the current rule is 1 per person and is an LE 300, then everyone in line has the option to buy.
This would still satisfy Theresa having us there for 2 days. The only reason were there for two days is for incremental sales of ice cream and some food and even merchandise.
This would put an end to over night and have everyone there at a specific time and getting Everyone out fast. I would even suggests bringing back the noon release so the a.m. one is less crowded since, again, its not an advantage to be first.
Find a flaw in this scenario and ill update it. If this suggestion is acceptable to the CKC and DPF members and eBay sellers and pin collectors/traders and bums walking the streets, we can tell Theresa to read this specific post. As if she's not already?
Feedback please.
