When Burning Crusade came out, I skipped the preorder phenomenon and hoped and prayed that I could still get one.  I headed to Wal-Mart that night and got in a decent sized line.  I was about the 10th person in or so.  Midnight hits and they go on sale.  As I approach I ask, or maybe it was the person in front of me, about the collector’s edition.  The clerk gives us a weird look like “There’s another one of these?”  to which they proceed to go to the back.  Everyone behind us groans, they didn’t hear us, thinking we’re holding everyone up.  However, they come back with crazy amounts of collector’s editions and everyone rejoices.

This year, I’m hoping my luck will hold out and the same thing will happen.  Though I moved so the Wal-Mart from the last story is across town, I still had 2 to choose from in my vicinity.  I head to the first one and I’m about the 15th person in line.  I ask the clerk about a CE version to which the guy in front of me says they only have 6 and that they’re probably already taken.  Gee dude in front of me, you think?  So I leave and head to the second Wal-Mart around me.  I end up about 10th in this line and make the same inquiry to which this store replies they have zero.  Zero is a weird number for me to digest so I leave and consider going to the Gamestop in the parking lot.  I glaze over and notice that there’s this huge line about 20+ people long and I say forget it.

Now I’m not one to plan things without backup plans.  Oh yes I had many actually.  My first backup plan was knowing a friend of mine was going to the Wal-Mart that I got my Burning Crusade copy from and hoping that they were again going to have a boatload of them.  However, she calls and says that they in fact have zero, which even a second time is hard to digest.  So I’m aimlessly driving, but I’m near Best Buy and on the phone she says that they were having a midnight opening.  I think about how strange that is because my BB is not known for such things.  But I head out there anyway.

Getting to Best Buy the parking lot was lit up and there were a good amount of cars on the side lot.  I park in the front and notice two managerial types at the door looking anxious to lock up.  I can’t blame them, it’s about 12:20 at this time.  They greet me courteously without a drop of weariness or “Ugh, people are still coming in” kinda feeling.  I walk in and see a nice big table with all these copies of Wrath, and one with a CE box on it.

“I NEED THAT!”

“You’re in luck!” says the employee.  I asked knowing my buddy and her brother will want one if they had more.

“Oh yeah we got tons under the table.”

Ecstatic, I call them up and hurry them over.  But knowing I was the only customer and seeing as lots of employees were looking very tired, I just bought 3 copies and left.  I had a pleasant conversation with the cashier who plays Alliance even though her co-employee beside her plays horde.  She gave me her server and character name though it’s impossible for me to move servers but I was friendly.

So I’m 5 for 5 on collector’s editions spanning from Diablo 2, Warcraft 3, and the 3 incarnations of WoW.  I had to call in my backup plans and tell them I had lucked out.  I didn’t get it installed completely until around 2:30AM so I only had time to head to Borean Tundra and log out.  This felt more hectic and I’m hoping I have a bit less stressful time picking up a Starcraft 2 CE for whenever they decide to come out.