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I can see many here have never worked in retail. Different retailers have different distribution networks. Further more shipments are released at different times. So while one chain might get the first shipment. Another chain might have their shipment arrive three days later. This is a competitive market so if any retailer has a slight advantage in this area. They will consistently generate better sales.

The end result would be a turf war. Some retailers would demand early shipments. The bigger chains could force smaller chains out of the market. Were Walmart to have the games two days before EB games would you ever go to EB games? Retailers would start buying prime shipments. They would bypass their own efficient distribution networks. They would have special deliveries costing them more man hours. Every truck needs someone to unload it, and someone to immediately price and stock.

When you get to the end the retailers would bleed off their profit. There would be a heinous amount of waste. This would drive many retailers out of the market, and make it harder for us the consumer to get the games with fewer hassles. The remaining retailers could then increase prices too offset their additional costs. Less competition is good for them , but not good for the consumer.

These release dates are good for the consumer. They insure that games are treated like any other merchandise that can be shipped in bulk with other merchandise. The competition is focused on pricing and customer service rather then speed. Fair competition is always better for the consumer. This is a fair business practice.