Thread: Jirachi to be distributed by American GameStop stores: Event to last from Feb. 27 to

But just hope it does come out on wifi after the release.

I'm soft resetting for good IVs. lol

BTW can you get more than one per cartridge?

Nope. One per cartridge.

If you have more than one game, will they allow you to download it multiple times, or just once?

If you have multiple cartridges, you can get more than one Jirachi. It's not like their supply's limited in quantity.

Originally Posted by Jay0173

I'm highly doubtful that Nintendo will release any events in Canada. The last time I talked to a Nintendo rep (when I was employed by Best Buy), I was told by her that Nintendo considers the Canadian market too small to qualify for special events. Well, I can tell you my eyes almost popped out of my head when she told me that. I asked her if she was serious, and she responded in the affirmative. The way distribution works, is the product arrives in the US first, and priority distribution is given to US retail outlets. There is a base percentage of product set aside for Canada, which equals roughly about 10% of total North American product, regardless of demand. The only way Canada qualifies for a greater percentage of product distribution, is if the orders from US retailers does not meet their allocation threshold, in which case, Canada is allocated the remainder.

It is this thinking on Nintendo's part that prevents Canada from enjoying any of Nintendo's Pokemon events. We just simply are not valued as customers by Nintendo. We're given the leftovers and scraps that the US doesn't want. Harsh way of looking at it? For sure, but it is also fact.

Whatever the reasons, I think it's pretty pathetic that Canada never gets any of these events. I once e-mailed Nintendo regarding this, and was told it was actually The Pokemon Company that organized the events. When I e-mailed them, the response said that they'd offered all the past events to Canadian stores (they mentioned TRU specifically), and each time the store chose not to participate:

> From: Customer Service <customerservice@pokemon.com>
> Subject: [#XJH-104455]: Pokemon events
> To: xxxxxxxxxx@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

If the same is true for Gamestop events, it would seem it's actually the stores we should be bringing our complaints to.

Fortunately in Generation IV there are other ways to download these events to your game that equates to no difference between doing it in-store for those of us in the Pokemon Ghetto of Canada, but it still infuriates me that wenever get the events when pretty much every other country under the sun does. And I don't understand why Toys R Us up here decided to participate in the Secret Key event, but none of the others. I mean, geez, the thing was given out over Wi-Fi at the same time... surely a better test-run would've been an event that wasn't able to be downloaded from the comfort of one's home?

Originally Posted by TM2-Megatron

Whatever the reasons, I think it's pretty pathetic that Canada never gets any of these events. I once e-mailed Nintendo regarding this, and was told it was actually The Pokemon Company that organized the events. When I e-mailed them, the response said that they'd offered all the past events to Canadian stores (they mentioned TRU specifically), and each time the store chose not to participate.

TRU is virtually non-existent in Canada, at least, in Southern Ontario. So that could be one of the reason TRU opted not to hold any events. The lack of any stores meant they wouldn't have benefited much from the event.

Now, EB Games, or Gamestop, are practically everywhere and they could participate in the events. When talking to my local Gamestop location, I was told specifically by the associates that Nintendo reps there were not delivering the equipment necessary for the events to be run. They had no information with regards to head office declining to participate in Nintendo events.

Originally Posted by TM2-Megatron

Fortunately in Generation IV there are other ways to download these events to your game that equates to no difference between doing it in-store for those of us in the Pokemon Ghetto of Canada

While it is true that Canadians can indeed trade their Pokemon for event Pokemon, the reality is, a good number of players are casual players only who most likely don't have some of the extremely high level Pokemon, or uber-Pokemon (ie. shinys, other event Pokemon) that is demanded of them by those willing to trade. That leaves only one option for them... cheating using AR codes; and as we all know, no one wants to trade for Pokemon received by cheating.

Originally Posted by TM2-Megatron

but it still infuriates me that we never get the events when pretty much every other country under the sun does. And I don't understand why Toys R Us up here decided to participate in the Secret Key event, but none of the others. I mean, geez, the thing was given out over Wi-Fi at the same time... surely a better test-run would've been an event that wasn't able to be downloaded from the comfort of one's home?

hehe, well, I didn't even get the Secret Key event, owing to the fact that I hadn't purchased the game then, so I can't speak to that type of event. However, given the fact that TRU has hardly any stores could have something to do with them not running these events. As I mentioned above. Gamestop, on the other hand, has lots of stores and so they SHOULD be capable of running these events in store.

Originally Posted by Jay0173

TRU is virtually non-existent in Canada, at least, in Southern Ontario. So that could be one of the reason TRU opted not to hold any events. The lack of any stores meant they wouldn't have benefited much from the event.

I have to admit, I haven't been inside a TRU in years (though I would go, if they had an event), however they do have around 70 locations across the country. 29 of those stores are in Ontario, and several of them are around Toronto (admittedly, there don't seem to be any actually in Toronto). There's one I drive by all the time on my way downtown at Sherway Gardens (technically in Etobicoke, I think), there are apparently 2 in Mississauga, plus 1 each for Brampton, Hamilton, and Oakville.

Originally Posted by Jay0173

Now, EB Games, or Gamestop, are practically everywhere and they could participate in the events. When talking to my local Gamestop location, I was told specifically by the associates that Nintendo reps there were not delivering the equipment necessary for the events to be run. They had no information with regards to head office declining to participate in Nintendo events.

As far as Gamestop goes, they definitely have enough locations. If the Pokemon Company offers Canadian TRU all the events the American TRU has had, I don't see why it would be any different for Gamestop/EB Games. If someone at the corporate level has chosen not to participate, I wouldn't have expected the store workers to know anything about it though.

There isn't really that much in the way of special equipment necessary for these events, though. For in-store giveaways, it's merely a special distribution cart that's run on a regular DS unit. I doubt a Nintendo rep would deliver those distro carts to each US store every time an event is held... more like they ship a mass quantity to the head office, and head office sends them out to their individual stores.