Event: U.S. Jirachi event

[NewsBot]

Article Posted by Cyndaquil1995: U.S. Jirachi event

At U.S. Gamestops, the NZ Jirachi will be given out between February 27th, 2010 and March 13th, 2010. As many of you may know, this Jirachi, when traded to HeartGold and/or SoulSilver, unlocks the Edge of the Night Sky Pokewalker course. The flyer from GameStop is pictured below.

Edited February 2, 2010 by SCV

[iamlilyy]

In the posting it says NZ Jirachi will be given out at "North American Gamestops." Does anyone know if this is true, or is it only U.S. locations as usual? Unfortunately, it's extremely unusual for in-store distributions to happen in Canada.

[SCV]

In the posting it says NZ Jirachi will be given out at "North American Gamestops." Does anyone know if this is true, or is it only U.S. locations as usual? Unfortunately, it's extremely unusual for in-store distributions to happen in Canada.

Its at U.S. ones. I'll edit the post and the article. Thanks.

[Okami]

I might go out for this one...that is, if I can find a ride to my local gamestop, which is a few miles away. I walked for the Pichu, and don't want to have to do that again...

[canand]

When is Europe geting a Pokemon Event.

[AtomicGreymon]

When is Europe geting a Pokemon Event.

Based on past events, much of Europe will get this eventually. You guys never get it at the same time as the US, though.

The real question is when will Canada get an event? Europe only gets them a bit later... we never get them at all.

[Cyndaquil1995]

Its at U.S. ones. I'll edit the post and the article. Thanks.

Sorry, my bad

[Relyte]

Based on past events, much of Europe will get this eventually. You guys never get it at the same time as the US, though.

The real question is when will Canada get an event? Europe only gets them a bit later... we never get them at all.

Amen to that. I guess I'll end up downloading them onto platinum and trading them over. *SIGH*

[Regigigas]

where did you get the photo?

[Okami]

where did you get the photo?

They might have taken a picture of the flyer. I know when I was there getting my Pichu distribution the guy working there showed me the Jirachi flyer and was asking me if I was going to come to that as well. That would be my first guess, anyways.

[Cyndaquil1995]

where did you get the photo?

a friend of mine has a working scanner

[Tidus]

Based on past events, much of Europe will get this eventually. You guys never get it at the same time as the US, though.

The real question is when will Canada get an event? Europe only gets them a bit later... we never get them at all.

True statement here.

Gamestop here in Canada is EB Games and its in the local mall near my place. I'll take the bus this time. Last time I had to get a ride and it took 4 hours to get there.

[AtomicGreymon]

True statement here.

Gamestop here in Canada is EB Games and its in the local mall near my place. I'll take the bus this time. Last time I had to get a ride and it took 4 hours to get there.

There are both EB Games and Gamestops around me, however as far as I know none of them have this giveaway. Heck, there's a Gamestop in a mall no more than a 2 minute drive from my house. I suggest every Pokemon fan in Canada call the Canadian Gamestop customer service line to complain:

http://www.gamestop.ca/gs/help/StoreIssue.aspx

[randomspot555]

Gamestop has no control over getting/not getting the event. Your complaint lies with Pokemon affiliates, probably specifically Nintendo of Canada (is there one? Or do they just use NOA?) and TPCi.

The reason the US and Canada don't do events at the same time is because often, chain stores are owned by entirely different companies. It's basically a franchise that shares none of the agreenments the chain has with the corporate HQ in the US.

A good example of this is Circuity City. Even though the company FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY, closed every store in the US, and just has a skeleton crew at their corporate HQ handling some paperwork before closing forever, the owners of Circuit City-Canada own Circuity City and have none of the ties to Circuity City in the United States. Their stores are still open.

Interestingly enough, Gamestop purchased EB games in the states a few years back. And a few posts above, you said EB Games owns Gamestop in Canada.

And just FYI, just because Gamestop hosts the event in the US doesn't mean that's the only store that'll distribute it elsehere. In Australia, they distributed one of the movie events at TARGET stores.

[AtomicGreymon]

Gamestop has no control over getting/not getting the event. Your complaint lies with Pokemon affiliates, probably specifically Nintendo of Canada (is there one? Or do they just use NOA?) and TPCi.

The reason the US and Canada don't do events at the same time is because often, chain stores are owned by entirely different companies. It's basically a franchise that shares none of the agreenments the chain has with the corporate HQ in the US.

A good example of this is Circuity City. Even though the company FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY, closed every store in the US, and just has a skeleton crew at their corporate HQ handling some paperwork before closing forever, the owners of Circuit City-Canada own Circuity City and have none of the ties to Circuity City in the United States. Their stores are still open.

Interestingly enough, Gamestop purchased EB games in the states a few years back. And a few posts above, you said EB Games owns Gamestop in Canada.

And just FYI, just because Gamestop hosts the event in the US doesn't mean that's the only store that'll distribute it elsehere. In Australia, they distributed one of the movie events at TARGET stores.

It's not just a matter of them not doing the events at the same time... or an event being distributed somewhere different in Canada. Almost no events ever come to Canada, period. The only one that ever has, as far as I know, was the Secret Key for Rotom... and that was given out at the exact same time in Canadian TRU locations as it was in American TRU. That was a bit pointless, though, as the same thing was given out over Wi-Fi at the same time for all North American carts.

I'm not sure who owns who, however I've been told by employees in a local Gamestop that both the EB Games and Gamestop name are owned by the same parent company; and that company recently chose to start opening new stores under the Gamestop name as opposed to EB Games. I imagine that company is the same as the one that operates the same stores in the US, very much like how Canada's Future Shop is owned by Best Buy USA, despite the fact there are also Best Buy stores in Canada which are treated as "competition" to Future Shop.

And I have e-mailed The Pokemon Company directly, after being told by Nintendo's customer support that they're the ones who organize giveaway events and recieved this response:

> From: Customer Service <customerservice@pokemon.com>

> Subject: [#XJH-104455]: Pokemon events

> To: xxxxxxxxx@yahoo.ca

> Received: Wednesday, January 28, 2009, 6:10 PM

> For each Pokemon distribution that we have done through Toys

> R Us, we have offered the same promotion to Canadian TRU

> stores, as we have to US stores. In each case, Canadian TRU

> has declined to participate in the distribution promotions.

>

> We will continue to encourage Canadian TRU stores to

> participate in these promotions, but, in the end the

> decision is up to them.

>

>

> Thank you,

> Dave

> Pokemon USA, Inc

> Customer Service

>

> Ticket Details

> ===================

> Ticket ID: XJH-104455

They use TRU as an example, but if the same is true of Gamestop then these stores are the ones we should be directing our complaints to.

[randomspot555]

They use TRU as an example, but if the same is true of Gamestop then these stores are the ones we should be directing our complaints to.

Or you can show your support through your wallet. Does your toys r us have a massive amount of Pokemon merchandise? If not, that might be an indication that Pokemon doesn't sell well in Canada (remember, the point of the events is to promote and get stuff sold; not just games, but anime DVDs, toys, etc...).

Toys R Us is a much better place to do an event than Gamestop because they sell all those things. Gamestop only sells games, and they don't even carry that many copies and anything older than 2 years or so relies on used games being traded in. Compare that to TRU, where I still see a copy of R/S/E every now and then.

So while in addition to telling TRU, start buying this merch to show that there is interest in Pokemon events. You can buy crap at Gamestop too, but meh, I doubt it'll make much difference. Gamestops are horribly disorganized and, as I mentioned before, ownership can be screwy. Since TPCi mentioned Toys R Us in their e-mail, that means that's where they're trying to go.

[Tidus]

Or you can show your support through your wallet. Does your toys r us have a massive amount of Pokemon merchandise? If not, that might be an indication that Pokemon doesn't sell well in Canada (remember, the point of the events is to promote and get stuff sold; not just games, but anime DVDs, toys, etc...).

Toys R Us is a much better place to do an event than Gamestop because they sell all those things. Gamestop only sells games, and they don't even carry that many copies and anything older than 2 years or so relies on used games being traded in. Compare that to TRU, where I still see a copy of R/S/E every now and then.

So while in addition to telling TRU, start buying this merch to show that there is interest in Pokemon events. You can buy crap at Gamestop too, but meh, I doubt it'll make much difference. Gamestops are horribly disorganized and, as I mentioned before, ownership can be screwy. Since TPCi mentioned Toys R Us in their e-mail, that means that's where they're trying to go.

I pretty much agree with this but you know theres not many TRU's in Canada, the last place I saw TRU was like on the other side of Montreal and I'm not going that far just to get an event.

They also held an event at Best Buy where one of my friends got a Pikachu Colored Pichu ; Its funny cause I didn't see them mentioning Best Buy. Theres other stores in Toronto as well where people could get the event and it isn't Gamestop nor Best Buy, I don't really remember the names..So yeah gamestop/ebgames isn't the only store that holds the events. I only go there because its the closest.

[AtomicGreymon]

Or you can show your support through your wallet. Does your toys r us have a massive amount of Pokemon merchandise? If not, that might be an indication that Pokemon doesn't sell well in Canada (remember, the point of the events is to promote and get stuff sold; not just games, but anime DVDs, toys, etc...).

I'm not sure, as I haven't shopped at a TRU in years. I don't buy Pokemon merchandise other than the games, and my only motivation to ever go to a TRU and look around might be if they decide to hold a giveaway. But Pokemon is still quite popular in Canada, proportionate to our smaller population of course. How different do you think our buying habits really are from Americans? Being more left-wing doesn't stop us from buying a bunch of crap we don't need, lol.

I pretty much agree with this but you know theres not many TRU's in Canada, the last place I saw TRU was like on the other side of Montreal and I'm not going that far just to get an event.

There are at least 70 TRU locations across the country; 29 of those in Ontario alone. In the Greater Toronto Area there are 3 stores in Toronto proper, 1 in Etobicoke, 1 in Scarborough, 1 in North York, and 2 in Mississauga.

They also held an event at Best Buy where one of my friends got a Pikachu Colored Pichu ; Its funny cause I didn't see them mentioning Best Buy. Theres other stores in Toronto as well where people could get the event and it isn't Gamestop nor Best Buy, I don't really remember the names..So yeah gamestop/ebgames isn't the only store that holds the events. I only go there because its the closest.

Are you saying your friend got a Pickachu-colored Pichu at a Canadian Best Buy? Or is this an American friend? Maybe it was someone who got the WC from this site, made a distro ROM and hung around in a Best Buy parking lot, lol. I have to admit I've often been tempted to do that outside of a EB Games or Gamespot here, when yet another event comes along that they don't get. Someone might as well distribute the thing, if they're not going to.

[Guest]

Yes, but you'd have to have time to waste to do that.

You don't even know if anyone will hang around there and try downloading it.

I do make distribution roms, but only for my personal gain, since it won't do much to go and sit outside EB Games all day with my DS turned on with the distribution rom started up.

[Tidus]

There are at least 70 TRU locations across the country; 29 of those in Ontario alone. In the Greater Toronto Area there are 3 stores in Toronto proper, 1 in Etobicoke, 1 in Scarborough, 1 in North York, and 2 in Mississauga.

k I didn't know there were that many lol. But I live in Montreal and theres not even one near my place, its pretty far, at least a one and a half hour drive away and even longer by bus.

Are you saying your friend got a Pickachu-colored Pichu at a Canadian Best Buy? Or is this an American friend? Maybe it was someone who got the WC from this site, made a distro ROM and hung around in a Best Buy parking lot, lol. I have to admit I've often been tempted to do that outside of a EB Games or Gamespot here, when yet another event comes along that they don't get. Someone might as well distribute the thing, if they're not going to.

Yes. He got it from a Canadian Best Buy according to him and I found it funny because Nintendo never said anything about that so I don't really believe him but it could be true.

[Guest]

The nearest one is at Pointe Claire, I believe.

No way in hell my parents would drive me there just for that.

[Tidus]

Yeah thats the one I was talking about. My parents would drive me there but like the only times I've been there is Christmas/Boxing Day and there were no events on those dates.

[AtomicGreymon]

Yes, but you'd have to have time to waste to do that.

You don't even know if anyone will hang around there and try downloading it.

I do make distribution roms, but only for my personal gain, since it won't do much to go and sit outside EB Games all day with my DS turned on with the distribution rom started up.

True enough. If I knew Nintendo wouldn't crush me under a pile of lawyers, I'd register the domain "www.pokemoneventsforcanada.com" in partnership with a number of Canadian Pokemon fans spread over the country for the purpose of organizing and advertising the locations, dates and times for giveaways of prior events that never came here. I imagine it'd be quite popular, lol.

Yes. He got it from a Canadian Best Buy according to him and I found it funny because Nintendo never said anything about that so I don't really believe him but it could be true.

That's very strange. I may drive to my local Best Buy tomorrow evening on my way home, and switch on my DS to give a listen for event signals. Though as Best Buy Canada wasn't mentioned on Pokemon.com, Nintendo.com, or Nintendo.ca I'm highly skeptical.

[Tidus]

That's very strange. I may drive to my local Best Buy tomorrow evening on my way home, and switch on my DS to give a listen for event signals. Though as Best Buy Canada wasn't mentioned on Pokemon.com, Nintendo.com, or Nintendo.ca I'm highly skeptical.

Thats what I don't get either. I mean like if it was mentioned there I would've went straight to Best Buy instead of EB Games. -.-

[AtomicGreymon]

Thats what I don't get either. I mean like if it was mentioned there I would've went straight to Best Buy instead of EB Games. -.-

Well as far as I know EB Games and Gamestops in Canada aren't giving away the Pikachu-colored Pichu, either. Maybe to be safe I'll drop by my closest store (a Gamestop, as it happens) tomorrow and ask the guy working in there, though. Couldn't hurt, I guess.