Without a car.
I'm 20 minutes away from the store, I don't currently own a car, and I work during normal business hours during the week.
The only feasible way I imagine myself ever getting a card is if I sign up for a waiting list that reserves the card in my name, and then I go pick it up when it's ready. Sounds extremely simple, straight forward, and fair. Employees at Micro Center could simply take the cards, slap a note on it for whom its reserved, and then notify them that it's ready with a 30-minute window to get it. If they cannot arrive in that 30 minute window, they are reset to the back of the list. This is just how I imagine a waiting list to work.
But at the store the other day I was told there's a link to follow that puts you on a list, but that there's no way to reserve your place on the list. Which effectively makes the list... pointless.
Is there a not pointless waiting list?
Is there any way for me to get a card?
Hello @MatthewDZak and thanks for posting on the Microcenter Community Forum. What store did you go to that shared about the waitlist?
There's no gpu waitlist, there is a store entry list, which can only be accessed 2 hours before the store opens. And you have to be outside the store before it opens at 10am.
Getting a GPU from Microcenter is on a first come first sell basis due to there being a shortage on GPUs across the industry.
There are no holds on the GPUs. Customers have to be in the store to get a GPU if in stock or if a delivery truck is coming that day. Customers can hang out until the truck comes.
The strategy to possibly get a card from MC is to visit the store on consecutive days (Tuesday through Saturday), arrive at the store at 8am to be part of the first group of customers to enter the store. Once inside the store, if GPUs are in stock, you'll be able to grab 1. If non in stock, then the store will let you know if a truck is coming that day. At that point you can hang out in the store until the truck comes or the store may work something out to call you.
We understand your work situation. We've advised customers in the same situation to see if they can take sometime off as vacay and show up to the store early. Your situation is a little unique with no automobile at the moment. I'm not sure if there is a friend or family member that could bring you down to the store early. Another option would be the use of uber or lyft.
But because of the shortage on GPUs, its first come first sell when it comes to obtaining a GPU at MC. The other option would be to pay the premium for a GPU at Amazon or newegg. They are about $200 more than what they are at MC depending on the GPU card.
Hmmm. I was specifically told "Waitlist" by the cashier. My guess is that they simply found the wrong word to use to describe the function of the list. I think maybe they need clarification themselves. A customer also walked by and told me to "refresh the list at 7 AM sharp" which I have no idea what that means.
@MatthewDZak I may have written a long book and it may have been too long. LOL Sorry for that. But I mentioned there is a store entry waitlist. You have access it 2 hours before the store opens. So 7am makes sense, you have to access it and be in line that early to get into the store to have a chance to get a GPU.
Let me sort this out visually so I can process it. 😅
You need to get there hours in advance in order to get on THE LIST. (If you have the right kind of phone, which I don't.)
You need to get on the list in order to get into THE STORE.
You need to be among the first people to reach THE GPU's.
Am I understanding this?
How do employees at the store control that? I would imagine a crowd around a door and a black friday-like dash for graphics cards. If that's the case, why bother getting on a list? You could just be bigger and faster. And couldn't someone show up at 9:59 AM and push their way through the crowd, bypassing everyone, and get the GPU's first anyway?
I'm sorry for asking so many questions. I just need to know what my odds are before I probably sacrifice a day's pay, splurge for an uber, and stand in line for hours with a bad back, get trampled, leave without a graphics card, and pay for another uber. 😂
I have not heard of any sort of "mad dash" to enter the store. We have seen most customers are going to the store before it opens to see if we have received shipments. Most often we seem to receive shipments on the weekdays. I'm unable to promise when we'll be receiving any new shipments or offer when to expect a shipment will be delivered, but it seems that most have success going in the morning before we open.
Voucher information and other commonly asked questions & answers can be found at https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/7909/limited-availability-product-launch-faq
@Jamell just chiming in. Your Florida will work. There isn't a requirement that customers can only buy GPUs if they are in-state customers only.
Good Luck.
I'm confused, because the employee at Micro Center Fairfax told me the same thing. I signed up for a waiting list, and I even received the following email:
Congratulations, you have been placed on the Micro Center Video Card Wait List. You will receive notification via email when you are next up on the wait list for a video card in your selected video card class. When you receive that email, you will have 3 days to purchase the available video card SKU within your selected class using Micro Center’s in-store pickup process. Video cards not picked up within 3 days will be returned to the store’s inventory. By placing your name on the wait list, you are not guaranteed a video card and you may purchase only 1 video card every 30 days.
So what does this really mean? Do I still need to attempt to get in line, or will I one day be called/emailed like I've won the lottery?
Greetings. You are looking at a thread that is 3 months old and the reservation system is unique to the Fairfax store and was created after this post was made by another user. You will be notified from the store regarding this process when available.
Hello @Caradepau, the post that you're responding to is quite dated at this time.
Please check out the new process that has been set in place. https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/8756/random-selection-process-and-faq
Thanks!
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