Before 5:30am today, I’d never waited in line for a game console. As a matter of fact, the first and only console I’ve ever owned is the 2016 NES Classic. I’m behind, I know…but I’ve got a plan.

My children are old enough (6 and 3, respectively) to start playing video games, and I’ve got juuuust enough expendable income to invest in consoles. So I decided that our whole family would start at the ground floor — together.

As a result, my kids have fallen in love with the original Mario, Kirby, and Pac Man. My son rocks Excite Bike, and I had no idea that my daughter is a savant at Dr. Mario. Wouldn’t have it any other way.

Nintendo

So when the SNES Classic was announced, I knew I had to snag it on day one. Only one problem — where on earth would I go to get it?

I’m not in NYC, so the Nintendo flagship store was out of the question (and the line began forming 2 days ago...so dang).

Turns out that answer was Target. Results from this mornings launch are pouring onto the internet (hey r/miniSNES) — and Target is the clear winner by a wide margin.

Here’s what people are saying about other retail launches:

Wal-Mart botched the midnight release in many locations, and/or had very limited quantities, even in densely populated areas.

Best Buy REFUSED to share any info about shipment quantities earlier this week with anyone, and opened at 9am.

GameStop opened at 10am, with no midnight release, and many people have shared that team members are holding stock as personal favors.

Toys-R-Us team members are holding stock for family and friends. One of my colleagues called his Uncle (a store manager) and had an SNES Classic put on hold for him, no questions asked.

Amazon’s Treasure Truck (which I would consider to be quasi-retail in nature) sent out push notifications 9 minutes LATE to mobile users, so the trucks were sold out by the time mobile users got the message. Oops.

We’re not here to talk about all those other guys. Here’s why Target won the SNES launch day:

They opened at 8am: They didn’t open earlier than they normally do, but 8am worked for my schedule, as well as most of the people I was in line with. 10am store openings are way too late for those unwilling to show up late or take a day off. I left quickly, didn’t hit much traffic, and got into work at 9am. Perfect. Orderly ticketing: Each store began handing out tickets 15 minutes before the doors opened and shared their ‘one console per person’ policy. This kept ‘cutting’ to an absolute minimum and cut scalpers off at the knees. Efficient point-of-sale: Transactions were S-M-O-O-T-H. Instead of having us walk to the electronics department in the back of the store, they brought the SNES Classics up to the front, in the customer service area. All 6 cash registers were open, and the space was filled with plenty of smiling employees helping to hand over the goods. I was #15 in line, and I had my SNES Classic by 8:04am. Transparent and honest: I called my local Target a few days ago, and nervously asked to speak to someone about the SNES stock. Earlier that day I called 6 (SIX!) Best Buy stores and got the same answer from everyone. “I’m sorry sir, I’m not able to provide you with that information.” My call with a Target representative was very different. Refreshingly different. Literally streets ahead. I chatted with a chipper gentleman named Louie. He quickly told me they had well over 100 units, and invited me to come out to “his” store. Simple as that. Guess what? Louie was there this morning. I said hello. He remembered me from the call, and we had a quick chat before the we walked inside. He also made small talk with other people in line, who I’m assuming previously discovered what I just learned this morning: Target knows how to treat customers well during a highly public product launch.

Retail stores not named Target, please take note.

Target treated me (and many other people around the country) with respect, made the sales process quick and painless, and weren’t afraid to share device quantities over the phone. The way it should be.

From the looks of it, Target won the day, which means they’ve garnered thousand of new fans that’ll be willing to bring their $$$ back once the N64 Classic (fingers crossed) roles out sometime next year.