Hey GameStop...why does a grown-ass man have to stand in line at midnight for a Switch 2?

Switch 2 arrived last night at midnight, and like a lot of other folks, I was standing in line at midnight like a damn fool on a Wednesday night to get one. I hadn't pre-ordered a Switch 2, as I was planning on waiting for a while before picking one up. But when a chunk of money fell in my lap Wednesday afternoon, it felt like provenance, and I decided to pull the trigger and get one. 

Oh lord, I hate them so much...

I live in the sticks, far from a city of any size, so I figured some retailers in the area might still have some Switches available. No big city = extra Switches for me. I decided to call a GameStop about twenty miles away at 8:00 last night to try my luck. Here's the conversation:

"Hello, thank you for calling GameStop, how can I help you?"

"Hi! I probably have the same question as everyone else today. Do you have any Switch 2's still available for purchase?"

"Oh yeah, for sure. We've pre-sold through about half of them, but the line of people coming in today has slowed to a trickle. You can probably get one tonight if you want."

"Okay, great! Can I pay you over the phone for it and just come get it tomorrow?"

"No, we can't take payments over the phone. You have to come into the store."

"Okay, no problem. I have my kids tonight, and I'm about twenty miles away. Can I come pay for it now before they go to bed, and then swing over and pick it up when you open tomorrow morning?"

"No, if you don't pick it up tonight, you forfeit your reservation, and you'll lose your right to the Switch."

"Wait. Even if I've paid for it ahead of time, I HAVE to be there tonight at midnight to get it? My wife is travelling tonight, and I'm not sure she'll make it back by midnight to stay with the kids. Can I make arrangements to have it set aside until morning?"

"No, if you don't come, we refund your card tonight and you lose your Switch. You can take the chance that it will still be around in the morning, but we can't guarantee that."

"Well, what is the point of prepaying for it if I lose it immediately?"

"You are reserving the right to pick up your Switch at midnight tonight."

"Right. MY Switch. Because I've paid for it in full. So what's the difference between midnight and noon tomorrow when you open?"

"Well, if you don't come at midnight, we'll refund the money and then it won't be your Switch anymore."

And round and round and round we went. In the end, my wife made it home at 11:00, and I drove through the night at 11:30, entered the GameStop and paid for the Switch in full, then took my place in line outside, where I was number 42. To GameStop's credit, the moved people through the line quickly, and around 1:20 AM, I made it back home with my Switch, vowing once again to never set foot in a stupid GameStop ever again.

I am 52-years-old. I have kids to get to school and a job to get to in the morning. I didn't even crack the box on my Switch 2 until late this morning. I do not stay up late, and I was not going to rush home and play the thing. I had no reason to be there at midnight last night other than the fact that I decided to grab a Switch at the last minute so I could review some games, and GameStop decided to be a prick and make things hard for me. Why? So their manager could walk up and down the line with a camera and show a bunch of people waiting outside a GameStop on social media, that's why. GameStop forced me to come out and wait in line at midnight so they could get a slight bump of adrenaline fed into their sorry fading business.

Take that crap elsewhere, GameStop. I appreciate that I was able to get a Switch 2 last night, but I do not appreciate that you manipulated the situation to create more of an "event" outside your store. I had no desire to be there, and if you gave a fraction of a damn about customer service, you wouldn't have forced me into that line. Just take my money, give me what I want, and get the hell out of my way. Good lord.

Pretty happy with that Switch 2, though.