I just called one my local Best Buys Stores and spoke to a manager (Sherry Adkins) and she said that when a product is shipped to them it comes from the regional distribution center closest to the store and they (some group she called product control) are the ones who include any holds or special instructions on items.To include holding for release date, she said this is more with high-end software (Windows XP, Office etc

Someone needs to warn her that selling it today would make her one of the "unscrupulous re-sellers" :-) ROTFLMAODoug

Thanks, JP. I'm not surprised by Sherry's explanantion. In the end, everybody gets what they want (the simmers, the retailers, and MS). And after the dust settles, those sites who chose not to host posts from their members concerning tips & tweaks, impressions, and screenshots will be the only losers.Onward we sim...Hey, Doug... does this mean guys like you and I get to be pirates for the next 5 days? LOL

We at EB are issued a "street date" given to us by Microsoft that dictates at what date we may sell it.In fact we get FS2004 in tommorrow morning and we can't sell it until the 29th unless told otherwise by corporate. It is kind of ridiculous....no wait, it is REALLY ridiculous. HOWEVER, they said that they are aware that many companies broke the "street date" guidline so we may be releasing VERY EARLY, as early as maybe this weekend.I asked my manager if I could buy it since I was an employee and he told me, "ABSOLUTELY NOT...YOU ARE NOT TO PURCHASE BY ANY MEANS UNTIL ACTUAL RELEASE".It's ok, although a little irritating.It just doesn't make any sense...why have something in stock and not sell it when other places are? Oh well....... :)

>I asked my manager if I could buy it since I was an employee>and he told me, "ABSOLUTELY NOT...YOU ARE NOT TO PURCHASE BY>ANY MEANS UNTIL ACTUAL RELEASE".Why do people like that (seemingly) always get to be the boss? *grin*

> Someone needs to warn her that selling it today would>make her one of the "unscrupulous re-sellers" :-) ROTFLMAO>>DougROFL! Yup either that or her copies are "100% guaranteed counterfeit"!!!

Arrghh...that be us matey. Pirate One ready for takeoff.....

>>I asked my manager if I could buy it since I was an>employee>>and he told me, "ABSOLUTELY NOT...YOU ARE NOT TO PURCHASE BY>>ANY MEANS UNTIL ACTUAL RELEASE".>>Why do people like that (seemingly) always get to be the boss?>*grin*By being unscrupulously fair, following corporate policy to the letter, and doing basically a good job at what they do."No selling before X" means just that, and there should be no difference between employees and others (in fact, I'd exclude employees from buying it at employee discounts for say a month if it's a hot title just to make sure regular customers get a chance to buy it (else they will run to the competition).

>> Someone needs to warn her that selling it today would>>make her one of the "unscrupulous re-sellers" :-) ROTFLMAO>>>>Doug>>>ROFL! Yup either that or her copies are "100% guaranteed>counterfeit"!!!I like the term "original copy" better...

Anyone who gets it early (I'm hoping tomorrow myself since apparently GameStop/Software Etc are saying they will sell as soon as they get it in) want to start up a "Pirate Air" VA??? We can all parade around in our Tri-Motors flaunting the fact that we've comitted crimes against Microsoft by *GASP* buying their sim!!!Ryan

I have been calling EB in the Raleigh NC area and told one manager that other retailers will be selling FS2004 as soon as they get it. It is silly - what I call the Microsoft gag order - that retailers have to withhold a product for sale until 29 July. Good thing FS2004 is not a perishable commodity!cloud9