With just about two weeks to go before the launch of the Wii and PS3, someone snuck us what looks to be Best Buy's official playbook. This 25-page document details all the nitty-gritty on how the super store is going to set up for the sale of both consoles, what to say and what not to say and even how to arrange the store.

I was delighted to learn, while reading through the document, that Best Buy has learned from their mistakes, specifically those made with the launch of the Xbox 360. This time around, you won't be pushed or cajoled and you might even enjoy the experience, if the Big B is to be believed.

Video game history will be made Nov. 17 (PlayStation 3) and Nov. 19 (Nintendo Wii), when two new console platforms launch for the first time in the same year since 2001 - within 48 hours of each other.

With your application of the "It Selling Strategy" against a backdrop of our core values and Core Philosophies, customers will go home with the end-to-end solutions that are just right for them and (most importantly) be glad they chose Best Buy.

Our learnings from the Xbox 360 launch last year support our belief that nothing is more important than the quality of the customer's experience. From past launches, we learned that the average customer who purchases a console system from Best Buy comes back six times a year over a three-year period to buy games and peripherals. If you press the customer on Nov. 17 to buy your end-to-end solution, it may be the last time you ever see that customer. Don't take the risk.

Instead, talk to the customer and find out what kind of gamer (hard core, family or value) he or she is. Ask questions and listen for the answers. The journey to the end-to-end solution is more than a checklist. It's you and your customer talking about how and what they like to play, where and with whom. It's you unlocking the secret of what makes your customer unique and sending them home with what they want.

There's a ton more info in this box and to make things more digestible I've broken down the info into multiple posts:

Best Buy's PS3 and Wii Mazes
Official Best Buy Employee Wii/PS3 Buying Policy
What Best Buy Can't Do with the Wii/PS3
PS3 Launch Day Game List
The Wii Launch Day Game List
Best Buy's Launch Day Logistics

Brian Crecente

Line Management

The mission is to create a safe environment for customers to wait when the line begins to form, as well as
a fair and orderly process for distributing tickets. Give customers waiting in line a clear set of expectations
about how many units will be available on launch day and when tickets will be handed out.
Communicate early and often
From the front of the line to the very end, all customers need to know how many units will be available on
launch day so they can decide for themselves whether or not to remain in line. As the line forms and
grows, be sure to pass along the best, most accurate information you have.

Launch Day Logistics

The mission is to create a quick and orderly process for redeeming tickets, present elements of the endto-
end solution and allow your customers to make the choices that are right for them.
Personal shopper model or assembly line model?
While both of these models were used successfully with last year's Xbox 360 launch, feedback collected
from the field recently suggests that the personal shopper approach works best when you don't have very
many units. In the assembly line model, the customer goes from station to station and interacts with
several employees, each tasked with presenting a component of the end-to-end solution.
When and how to hand out tickets?
Hand out tickets for the number of many units you have 60 minutes before you open the doors. Starting at
the front of the line, hand one ticket to each person in line. Since there are separate tickets for the two
different PS3 SKUs, ask each customer which one he or she wants.
What do we do when you run out of tickets and have more people in line?
Like in past launches, you'll run out of tickets before you run out of customers. There's a launch day offer
for customers who waited in line and didn't get a PS3 but still want a high-definition gaming solution.
Three days only - Buy an Xbox 360 Pro System and two Xbox 360 software titles ($49 or more), and
get a third Xbox 360 software title (of equal or lesser value) free.
Value Package ID 37280.
Offer valid Friday, Nov. 17, through Sunday, Nov. 19.

Best Practices
The following are some best practices from previous platform launches that help to maximize the comfort
and safety of the customers standing in line.
Connect with Property Management well in advance to allow for these considerations and actions to be
taken. Use the Ask the Facility.Bus form on Employee Toolkit. Click Forms, Inventory and then
Equipment Repairs/Maintenance.
Keep the lights on all night. Whether your store is a midnight sale location or not, there's no telling
what day and what time the line will begin forming. But surely customers will line up hours before the
doors open. Work with your store's Property Management to keep exterior lights on after regular store
hours so customers won't be sitting in total darkness.
Contact local law enforcement by Nov. 10 to inform them of the upcoming launches and the lines of
customers we anticipate will form hours, or perhaps days, prior. Inform them that the lights will be on
all night to illuminate the area where the customers will be standing and request that officers on patrol
in the area pass through the area every couple of hours that night.
Portable restrooms are a great idea for stores holding midnight opening events or stores expecting
a line of customers for 12 to 24 hours or more. Portable restrooms in the parking lot often require
landlord approval, so connect with your store's Property Management Team if you wish to provide
this for your customers.

Check out the new official policy:

Employee Purchase Policy Due to inventory levels of PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Nintendo Wii hardware, there are strict requirements on employee purchases. An employee must be off-duty in order to purchase these products. Employees are customers when they're not at work, so must follow same standard procedure applicable to customers:

Stand in line with no preferential treatment
Receive line ticket based on placement in lines
Purchase of one unit per employee

Every employee is expected to uphold our values, adhere to our Company policies and keep a constant
focus on our customers. Behaviors exhibiting direct violation of the Company policies and values will not
be tolerated. The consequences for violating the Company values and policies will result in an immediate
launch of an internal investigation resulting in a range of disciplinary actions - up to, and including,
termination of employment.

The resale of any PS3 or Wii systems originally purchased at Best Buy by a current Best Buy employee is
strictly prohibited. To view the Company's Employee Purchase Policy, go to eGO and select Policies &
Culture, Policies, Your Responsibilities & Behavior and then Employee Discount Policy.
Employees should talk to their managers to discuss or report questionable behavior.

Brian Crecente

Remember the Best Buy employee pre-order lockdown? Well, it seems like they're not alone. This may be news to you (unless you're an employee), but both Circuit City and CompUSA both have policies in place already that prevent workers from buying the PS3/Wii. If they get caught, they're "immediately fired."

Apparently they had this in place last year for the Xbox 360 launch, but we all saw how well that worked. We mean really, if these employees can ask their wives to go pick one up for them, that's nigh unenforceable. Apparently for Circuit City, sales associates were barred from buying one until after Christmas, and they were never officially given the OKAY to do so. Poor, poor CCers. Maybe your dancing Santa can bring you one. Jason Chen