How can I get on any kind of GPU waiting list?

MatthewDZak · March 2021

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?

TSTDavey · March 2021

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.

MatthewDZak · March 2021

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.

TSTDavey · March 2021

@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.

MatthewDZak · March 2021

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. 😂

steelaw · March 2021

Yeah you pretty much summed it up.there is no crowd control and it is far from a perfect system it has been this way for months I don't see it changing the foreseeable future

Jamell · April 2021

Wait a second, so even though there's a store entry priority list, we basically have to run towards the isle like maniacs and quickly grab the GPU we want? The list doesn't ensure that you get a card if you for example, are first on the list, there are 20 cards, but 30 people on the wait list? I can tie my shoes really well, put on a belt and flexible shorts and sprint towards one.. but I've never been to the store before,bid still be at a disadvantage now knowing where the aisle for the GPU's is located. Any advice, suggestions? Thank you.

Jamell · April 2021

I'm leaving for rockville maryland In 2 days and plan to arrive at the store at or before 5 AM..

Ian · April 2021

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/30832#Comment_30832

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 · April 2021

@Ian (admin). Thank you for your swift reply, I'm sorry for asking yet another question.. but is it safe to assume that if there's no "mad dash" as you put it, if I showed up 12 hours before the store opened, and I were 1st in line, or second, and you had for example just 5 GPU's, does this mean I have priority to grab one out of the 5 since I was second? If not, what's stops people from sprinting towards the aisle and snagging it?

Also, when put on the list, do you have to list which specific card you want, or is it priority based selective choices? Also, what is a voucher? I'm sorry for the trouble, I'm travelling to another state just for a chance at purchasing one of these cards, preferably the 3080 (any variant) but since that seems to be the most popular 30 series GPU, I'm not very confident even if I were first in line for the 9 days in a row I'll be in Maryland, that they'd even have it in stock...

Thank you for any other information you can provide. The store map helps a bit, but I'm terrible at reading maps, if it is a marathon sprint to get the card, I'll probably end up running in circles my first day there or something.

So much anxiety about these things...saw this post and my confidence in being able to get one went way way down to be honest. Even though I truly believe this is the best chance anyone has at getting one at retail price, or at least not paying 200-300% over market value. It's such a ridiculous hyperinflation, scalping should be illegal.

I don't know why the one PC outlet store in Florida shut down nearly a decade ago (assume not many people on Florida do PC gaming?), but because of the shortage, and the bot sniping scalpers, it really sucks trying to get a card here.

"Tiger Direct" bought out "Comp USA", when they shut Tiger down, they both shut down. What a crappy situation. I don't understand this at all, computers are used basically everywhere.. yet I'm in a state with not a single PC component outlet... All we have are small businesses, and even if they get one card a month, they'll sell it to their family first, if not, they scalp it to a consumer... I hate this. I don't know now what's caused the semiconductor (silicon shortage?). But it sucks, something tells me this won't get better, not even by next year...

Jamell · April 2021

Oh, the voucher system sounds great, I'm very worried about one aspect of it though. I'm traveling from Florida to buy one because micro center doesn't exist here. The FAQ that was provided says (state id or drivers license).. please tell me my Florida ID will work... If not, I can't even qualify to buy one... It would be virtually impossible without one, pretty much like like the online sales of them atm..

TSTDavey · April 2021

@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.

Jamell · April 2021

@TSTDavey(admin) Oh my god, what a relief, thank you so much for your reply, hope has been restored! I hope 10 days of waiting overnight is long enough to snag any of the 3 cards I could use. 3080 would be ideal to push through some game's poor optimizations.. Great customer support, there should be a microcenter in every state!

r0x · June 2021

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?

Ian · June 2021

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/33845#Comment_33845

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.

Caradepau · July 2021

Odd, why is Fairfax offering a wait list, while other locations don't?

Seems like a more civil and ethically fair method of distribution of GPU s than what's been and currently being done by MS in other locations.

Going to a store to "black Friday" wait overnight or even a few hours in advance prior to store opening is rediculous and unrealistic for most people.

Madison Heights location, as of June ish 2021, peeps supposedly get there 2 hours before opening, to then be eligible to scan qr code which is outside the store, to then be eligible for a GPU, at least that's what was stated to me during the many many trips I made to that store during normal hours from a MS employee.

Only slightly better? Than the previous method..camp overnight to then get a paper voucher for a hard to get item..GPU, CPU, whatever it is..

MS, best buy, are still using a rediculous "Black Friday" method..no matter the details (qr code, paper voucher) when they should be doing waiting list like this supposed Fairfax local is or at least did.

And a waiting list means... if waiting a month or three for that text and or email from MS for you to finally get a card..so be it.
Better than wasting so much time, gas, milage wear and tear of your car, and days off work..

The argument may be...Newegg waiting list..good luck.. you'll never get a GPU..
You would eventually get one..in theory much sooner IF they stopped the "black Friday" method.