World of Warcraft Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack Nov 13 Release Date-Beware of Retailer Policies
Saturday, October 4th, 2008 
PostScript now that this date has passed: This is a good reference for retailer policies for any future game pre-orders. I will keep checking the policies to keep this updated. As of today, 11/18/08, Circuit City has filed for bankruptcy and may not be around much longer. If you have any gift cards from there USE THEM QUICKLY!!
Are you itching to get your hands on the new World Of Warcraft release Wrath of the Lich King expansion pack on the day of release and at the best price? Beware of the fine print of the policies of the most popular retailers and avoid any excess charges or disappointments. Watch for excessive overnight delivery fees, date promised by and what the terms of the offer are.
Many online and brick and mortar retailers will let you preorder. Some will guarantee that price even if the price rises. Two (Best Buy and GameStop) will lower your price if it goes down by the release date.
Here is a list of the most popular retailer currently hawking this release and their policies-Forewarned is Fore-armed:
***Best Buy: Price $39.99 Available for in-store pickup.
Big note here: the credit card holder must come in person for the pickup. So if you used someone else’s card to buy it (parent’s, wife’s, etc that person has to show up or you won’t be able to pick up your pack) Will honor price if it goes up and will lower price if it goes down before the release date. $2.99 is the shipping cost for regular 2-3 day delivery and $10.99 for overnight delivery. You won’t get it on Nov 13 if you choose the overnight option…it will be the next day as they ship on the release date.
Best Buy’s Link for this Product
***Walmart: Price: $39.82 Available for in-store pickup.
In typical Walmart fashion, they shave off a couple of cents to beat everyone’s price. Walmart will ship this item for $2.49 but it will arrive between Nov 21 and Nov 25 (Happy Thanksgiving?) They also offer 1 day shipping but there is some fine print about processing time and that estimate is for delivery by Nov 19. If you want it from Walmart, try to get it in person.
Walmart’s Link for this Product
***Amazon: Price: $39.99 Release Date Delivery available for extra shipping charge. How much and availability of this service depends on where you live.
Note from Amazon: Release Date Delivery does not apply if you choose Standard, Two-Day, One-Day or FREE Super Saver Shipping options during checkout. (that’s a fancy way of saying you have to pay more for release date delivery- they are shipping before the release date to make this happen)
· Applies only to orders shipped to addresses within the lower 48 United States. Orders shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, and international destinations will be delivered after the release date.
· Does not apply to PO Boxes or APO/FPO addresses.
That being said, yes you can get it the day its released but it will cost you an additional sum. Shipping charges on the website at last look was $4.49 for standard shipping (2-3 days) and $5.98 for release date delivery. Not too bad.
Amazon’s Link for this Product
***Circuit City: Price: $39.99 ***Not available for in-store pickup- will be shipped on Nov 13. If you are nearby a Circuit City, you can just drop by but they may be sold out. If you want to be sure you have it on Nov 13, this might not be your best choice. Standard shipping is $2.99 for 5 or more days, 3 business day shipping is $5.49 and overnight is $12.49.
Circuit City’s Link for this Product
***Frys: Price: $39.99. No info on website about in-store pickup. They state that they start shipping pre-orders on the date of release so again, if you want it on the release date, you could try to pick up a copy there but it might be sold out. If you preorder, it will be shipped to you on Nov 13 coming to you by whatever method you chose and according to how much you paid to ship it (overnight, 2 day, 3 day etc)
***GameStop: Price: $39.99 Available for in-store pickup. Will honor price if it goes up and will lower price if it goes down before the release date. Same recommendations here as above. If you don’t opt for in-store pickup, you will have to wait several days before receiving your pack via whatever delivery option you choose. Standard 2 day shipping is $6.99 and overnight is $9.99. Alaska and Hawaii are a flat $14.99.
GameStop’s Link for this Product
If you are thinking of also getting the WoW Wrath of the Lich King Strategy Guide, Amazon has the best price of $16.49 vs $24.99 at Best Buy. Amazon also discounts this a bit further if you buy both the pack and the strategy guide at the same time.
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Official Strategy Guide (Brady Games)
Bottom line, it pays to shop around, and with a little pre-planning you make your best deal and have the product in your hands when you want it to be.