For Tiffany Egbert and nine other people, the debut of Windows 98 was like winning the lottery.
To promote the release of Micro-soft's Windows 98 operating system, a few of Salt Lake's larger computer stores held special midnight shopping events Wednesday, slashing prices to piggy-back sales. One of the largest crowds, numbering well over 1,000, lined up at CompUSA in Salt Lake City.Egbert took the day off work from her job as a patient service representative when she heard about the great buys available to the first 10 people at CompUSA's "98 Minutes of Madness" promotion - foremost among them, a 266MHz computer for $98.
"I didn't know anything about it," she said, "but then one of my co-workers called us. He was second in line, and we came right down."
That was at 11 a.m. Wednesday, and Egbert was number seven. Nearly 13 hours later, she emerged triumphant, beaming as only a true bargain shopper can.
All the waiting paid off, she said. The tag-team food runs and bathroom breaks, sitting uncomfortably on hard concrete, listening to (and telling) bad jokes - it was all worth it. For just over $200, she was able to get the 266MHz computer and a 15-inch monitor; and she got a 240-minute long distance calling card for free.
"It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Egbert said. "It gave me empathy for people who wait all day for Jazz tickets or concert tickets."
Jim Steed, who was number 11 in line, said he was glad he came, even though he already had Windows 98 (don't ask how) and missed out on the great computer deal. He was still able to get the monitor and a 24x CD-ROM for just over $100.
"I'm so glad I came," Steed said. "I came mostly for the sale. But, I ended up sitting around, talking to people. I made a lot of new friends and got more references for my job." (He sells knives and hopes to become licensed soon to sell insurance.)
CompUSA's general manager Tony Vidal said he was sure the launch of Windows 98 was what brought people out, but it was also a way for them to capitalize on a lot of other great deals.
Few of the people the Deseret News spoke to said they came solely for the upgraded operating system. Rather, most said they came to take advantage of discounts on hard drives, monitors, modems and other peripheral enhancements.
That seemed true for stores around the valley.
Jeff Means, audio-video manager at Future Shop's Fort Union store, said, "The bulk of our customers seemed to be coming in for Windows 98, but very few of them left with Windows 98 only."
In fact, some customers at CompUSA said they wouldn't buy the system until Microsoft had worked out some of the "bugs."
"It's pretty crazy," said one Bountiful resident. "I wish the Internet Explorer wasn't so tightly integrated into the system. I'm more of a Netscape person."
Even so, computer junkies and bargain hunters rushed to stores at midnight across the valley. But was the response equal to Windows '95?
For some stores, the turnout was downright disappointing.
Means said the turnout at his store was less than he had expected, and he wasn't sure why.
"I'll tell you the truth, the wheels are falling off right now," he said just after 1 a.m. with an hour to go in the sale. "We had a rush of people right at 12 (midnight), but now it isn't as busy as I thought it would be.
"I don't know if there was more hype with Windows '95 or what. Maybe it's that 98 is more Internet-integrated, and people don't need that for what they're doing. I just don't know."
But, he was quick to say that during the course of the five-hour sale, they would still easily do as much business as the busiest day of any normal week.
It remains to be seen how well Windows 98 will be received. Like Wednesday night's sales, it will probably ebb and flow with the needs and whims of the consumers.
Consumers like Michael Williams, Taylorsville, who said he came to CompUSA "just to see what everyone else was doing at midnight on a Wednesday in the city."
Yes, he'll probably get the system eventually, he said, "but, it's really not that big of a deal."
Additional information about Microsoft's release of Windows 98 is available in the Business section of our Web site (www.desnews.com).