5 hours, 20 phone calls, and 10 stores later: How I finally found and bought a Nintendo Switch console without pre-ordering it

Alyson Shontell

Mar 5, 2017, 03:08 IST

Business Insider

Do you want to be this happy too? Here's how I finally got a Nintendo Switch console, even though they're sold out pretty much everywhere.

Nintendo Switch, the new hot gaming console, was released on March 3. And it's out of stock at most major retailers.

If you were smart, you pre-ordered it and picked it up at a local store without a problem.

If you were like me, you did not think ahead. And now you have the hard task of hunting for one in a sea of sold-out stores.

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I woke up Saturday morning, determined to get my hands on the Switch. It's been years since the last Zelda game came out, and I'm dying to play the new one.

At 10:45, I threw on a sweatshirt and hopped in my car. I traveled to Best Buys, Targets, GameStops and Toys R Us. After 5 hours, a half tank of gas, 20 phone calls, and 10 stores visits, I now have the Switch!

In the spirit of its IPO this week, I documented my hours-long adventure on Snapchat.

Here's what it took to find a Nintendo Switch without pre-ordering the console.