After Gamestop delivered a swift punch in the gut to the PS3 pre-ordering crowd—many of whom camped out just to pre-order the thing based on alleged, yet conservative launch day store allocations—comes a shred of positive news about when they'll get their post launch PlayStations.

The company expects to cover existing reservations before the holidays, most likely helped by the fact that employees who pre-ordered a unit will not be able to purchase one until the second, unspecified shipment and the entire launch allocation will be sold through brick and mortar locations, not at Gamestop.com.

The wordy official message sent to Gamestop employees via the POS system today follows after the jump. Michael McWhertor

Sony notified us that our initial shipment of PS3 systems will not be what we expected. We will be able to fulfill approximately 60% of our reservations on launch day. While this is not an ideal situation, the following should ease some of the customer service issues:
- We anticipate enough systems to cover reservations well before Christmas.
- Employees must wait to purchase their reserved systems until the second shipment. Anyone violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary action. We feel it necessary to take a strong customer service viewpoint on this issue.
- Stores will fill launch-day reservations in the order that the systems were reserved. All stores should have this information on the tracking sheets that were provided via email.
- Customers that are willing to wait for the second shipment to pick up their reserve will be offered a free used game or DVD priced at $19.99 or less.
- Instead of utilizing the ARN system, stores will personally call all reservations customers.
- Stores will be provided two scripts to user - one for customers that will be receiving the units on launch day and one for customers whose reservations will be fulfilled by subsequent shipments.
- We will provide each store with launch-day allocations on each SKU and a tracking sheet to monitor customer calls and pick-up intentions.
- Due to the complexity of this release, we will not be providing an ARN call to support this launch.
- Customers should have received the "Thank You for Your Reservation" notification at the time of reservation. This explained that the deposit guaranteed a spot in line when the reserved system becomes available and does not guarantee receipt of a system at launch.

***System Available Script***
"Hi, this is ____ calling from (GameStop/EB Games). I am calling to let you know that our allocation of PS3 systems is not what we expected but, because you were one of the first people to reserve, we will have your system on launch day. We will be opening at ___. We will also be receiving additional units in time for Christmas. If you are willing to wait for a second shipment to pick up your PS3, I can offer you a free used game or DVD priced $20 or less. Could you let me know if you plan to purchase your PS3 on Friday, 11/17 or Saturday, 11/18?"

***System NOT Available Script***
"Hi, this is ____ calling from (GameStop/EB Games). Unfortunately, our allocation of PS3 systems is not what we expected and we will not be able to provide you with a system on launch day. We will be receiving additional units in time for Christmas and your are number ___ on the list to receive a unit. We are very sorry that we are not able to provide you with a system on launch day. We will call you as soon as your system arrives."

——-Q & A——-
Some questions you may have are:
Q: Will we hold PS3 systems past 48 hours (close-of-business Saturday)?
A: We would like all reservations customers to pick up shipments from the initial allocation by Saturday evening. If you have a unique issue that requires you to hold a system longer, please partner with your DM.

Q: Can employees get the free used game because they waited until the second shipment?
A: Yes, employees are eligible to receive the free used game.

Q: When can customers get their free used game on DVD?
A: They will get this when they purchase their PS3 system.

Q: If a customer would like to get a more expensive used game, can we discount it $19.99 and allow them to pay the difference?
A: No, the customer must select a $19.99 game.

Q: Can we provide a free $19.99 used game to those customers to whom we will not be able to provide a system on launch day?
A: No, these customers will not be eligible for the free used game.

Q: When will we get more PS3 systems?
A: We are hoping for weekly re-stocks through the holidays. At this time, we do not have these specifics. The good news is Sony is shipping systems weekly.

——-Notifying Customers———
Customers should be contacted in the order that they are reserved. All calls must be made by end-of-day on Wednesday 11/15. Each store will be provided a tracking sheet to document phone calls made to reservation customers.

Beginning with the first customer on your list, use the below script. This script will be used until your allocation has been met. As stated above, we are requiring that employees wait to pick up their system until a subsequent shipment.

Q: Will customers be able to purchase this on GameStop.com at launch?
A: No, our entire launch allocation is going to the field to fulfill reservations.

Q: If a store is able to provide a system to all customers wishing to purchase and they still have some left, can those be sold to employees?
A: No, in cases such as these, the systems should be transferred to a stores that has not bee able to fulfill all reservations. This is also the case if a stores has 20-GB units that are not wanted by reservation customers.

Q: Will customers that will not have the choice of picking up on launch day get the free $19.99 game?
A: No. We will, however, allow employees to take advantage of this offer since we are not allowing them to purchase on launch day.

Q: Wy are stores getting 20 GB units even if they didn't reserve any?
A: We are shipping out all units that we have available, so some stores may get more of the 20 GB systems that were not reserved.

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