Last night, I hung out with the gaming geeks cold-hearted business snakes shoppers who lined up in front of the Galleria Best Buy to be the first to buy the new Sony Playstation 3. You may have heard of the PS3, the gaming system that people are going apeshit for, and currently costs as much as a used Hyundai on eBay.
There’ll be an expanded version of my experience in next week’s Been There, Done That in the Press. But for now, here are some images of the midnight shopping spree goings on. (Man, do I wish I’d brought $650 bucks with me last night….) — Steven Devadanam
…where he enjoyed the heater and the PS3 accessories.
Photos by Steven Devadanam for Houston Images Ltd., Unlmtd.
Jose, the very first kid in line, staggered into Best Buy…
…but where’s the money?
Finally, it was checkout time…
It’s not a Best Buy trip without the ol’ receipt check.
Ah, yes, in that pocket. $649.49, right?
Outside, Jose received a hero’s greeting from his comrades.
Younger shoppers needed a police escort, just in case things got hairy.
Inside, the stacks of PS3s were going fast.
Meanwhile, shoppers passed on the accessories and went straight for the system, a sure sign of a resell.
The Best Buy parking lot turned into a sort of shanty town…
…or skank-ass town, as it were.
And folks are still there…
This article appears in Nov 16-22, 2006.