GuardianBob wrote:Well order numbers are sequential and started somewhere around 30230100. (Give or take 100).

How do you know where the order numbers started at? Were you the last buyer of the item before the Bag?

You also have to remember that while order numbers are sequential, they are sequential for all of the Woot sites. So you need to take into consideration that there were Woot-offs going on at the Kids and Wine sites, so orders placed at the same time would intermix with the Bag orders. So even if the first Bag order was really 30230100 the last Bag order is probably higher than 30233100.

BTW, my Bag order is 302304xx, and I wasn't the first person to get a Bag.

Just wondering: It's clear from context that "gallivanting alpaca" refers to some kind of auto-buying website or program, but I'm not getting WHY. Is "GA" an acronym for something? Please ease my curiosity, thanks!

gwintner wrote:Just wondering: It's clear from context that "gallivanting alpaca" refers to some kind of auto-buying website or program, but I'm not getting WHY. Is "GA" an acronym for something? Please ease my curiosity, thanks!

to see what was really said you can click reply and see the full post

gwintner wrote:Just wondering: It's clear from context that "gallivanting alpaca" refers to some kind of auto-buying website or program, but I'm not getting WHY. Is "GA" an acronym for something? Please ease my curiosity, thanks!

Gallivanting Alpaca does indeed stand for "auto-bot". This started showing up on the April Fools "Adventure Crap" when the Woot gods changed all of the specific phrases we would use to something that made posters look incredibly stupid, for instance, "I" was changed to "We", "gallivanting alpaca" to "Gallivanting Alpacas", etc... This can be seen here

EDIT: Woot! got me!

12milluz wrote:This is my sixth Bowl of Cereal since Christmas. I hadn't gotten a single one before then. I have not used a gallivanting alpaca at all. It can't be my connection- I've gotten one on a verizon aircard even as well as other networks while out and about. Anyone else in a similar position? Am I just that lucky?

I am also in a similar position, except not quite as lucky. I am on my third Book of Crap since December, and I also got my first one back in December. Congratulations to you! I only use wooters.us to watch items for me while I'm at work, and I wouldn't say I have an incredibly fast network connection either. I do believe we're just that lucky!

jaymanmsu wrote:I'm betting on your babby.

I would love to see the look on my wife's face if we come home from the hospital and there is a pallet of action figures in my driveway.

ifreakshow wrote:I would love to see the look on my wife's face if we come home from the hospital and there is a pallet of diapers in my driveway.

Fixed!

ifreakshow wrote:Excited about my first bowl of cereal but more excited about the birth of my first child. Baby's due date is June 9th. Do you think i will get my baby or my Bowl of Cereal first?

I would bet on the baby. Will the baby be refurbished and does it work with MAC?

brillke wrote:I would bet on the baby. Will the baby be refurbished and does it work with MAC?

Not a refurb, but woot will randomly choose the color (pink or blue) and you can't have their iPod.

jaymanmsu wrote:Not a refurb, but woot will randomly choose the color (pink or blue) and you can't have their iPod.

Ipod is available at sellout.woot.com

ifreakshow wrote:I would love to see the look on my wife's face if we come home from the hospital and there is a pallet of diapers in my driveway.

pecefrogg wrote:Fixed!

lol difference between happy wife and angry wife.

jaymanmsu wrote:Not a refurb, but woot will randomly choose the color (pink or blue) and you can't have their iPod.

Whether pink or blue, only $5 delivery charge for up to three, makes it a great deal.

DeadlyDusk wrote:So how long does this process take? This is my first Random Crap event. So im currious.

Time is an illusion. But the process goes a little something like this:

Next 2-3 days: A shipping notification will be sent to Fedex. This does not necessarily mean that your Bowl of Cereal has been shipped, but at least Woot is preparing to print a shipping label. This makes it possible for you to look up your item using "Track by Reference" at FedEx.com using your Woot order number. And that's when the fun begins.

Once it actually gets packed, size and weight data become visible. Sometimes it's valid, sometimes it's just a placeholder. But we will speculate, oh yes, we will speculate. And try to remember just how much a Roomba weighs.

At this point, FedEx puts the BOCs on (supposedly geographically organized) pallets and sends them on the glorious cross-country journey that is SmartPost, where they will see the wonders of several Sortation Centers and many miles of Interstate Highway. Sometimes, the package weights and sizes will change because a FedEx employee actually ran them through a scale and scanner at said Sortation Center. Great will be the lamentations of those who find that the size of their package has shrunk during this process. (heh heh, he said "package".)

Finally, the BOCs will be handed off from FedEx to the USPS, where it will pass through a couple more sorts and trucks until it gets to your local post office for delivery. This process really shouldn't take more than 7-10 days (depending on distance) once it leaves Woot, but there are the occasional tragic tales of packages passing through the same Sortation Center two or three times before things get sorted out.

And then the packages arrive. Bags of Texas air are counted. Pictures are posted. Most people get the same things, or items within a defined universe of things. But someone will get a box of malfunctioning Sansas, and someone will get a Roomba that needs some TLC to get working again, and someone will get a box of cordless phones, while someone else gets the bases and charging cords needed to make those phones work. And maybe someone gets a laptop. Or some busted hard drives. Or a birds nest of random cords and earbuds.

Oh, yeah, and one or two people will get a letter from Woot. These people will be contacted by a freight company. They will receive an entire pallet of something. It might be a TV. It might be several cases of car wax or action figures. You just never know.

I've snagged 6 or 7 BOCs over the last three years. Got some useful stuff, got some crappy stuff. But it's always been $8 worth of entertainment.

I'll be happy as long as it's not more Star Trek bobble heads.

I think the best thing about getting a Bowl of Cereal is to read the message boards. The reason is, every once in a while, a Woot! staff member posts something. This means that they actually go through and read our wall posts. For some reason this gives me an extreme sense of comfort.

I think the best thing about getting a Bowl of Cereal is to read the message boards. The reason is, every once in a while, a Woot! staff member posts something. This means that they actually go through and read our wall posts. For some reason this gives me an extreme sense of comfort.

escapecar wrote: But it's always been $8 worth of entertainment.

The entertainment value is why I work hard to get the Bundle of Cheerios. I have 4 year old twins who think it is Xmas when the box arrives. The look of wonder on their faces is priceless. Even though most of what is in the box is not for them. The only thing they have gotten from one is a set of red and blue woot-off lights.

BigRedDogATL wrote:How do you know where the order numbers started at? Were you the last buyer of the item before the Bag?

You also have to remember that while order numbers are sequential, they are sequential for all of the Woot sites. So you need to take into consideration that there were Woot-offs going on at the Kids and Wine sites, so orders placed at the same time would intermix with the Bag orders. So even if the first Bag order was really 30230100 the last Bag order is probably higher than 30233100.

BTW, my Bag order is 302304xx, and I wasn't the first person to get a Bag.

Well, as of yesterday there were only a couple of orders with 302301xx on http://wootsack.bfusion.net/index.php

Now I see there's someone with 302300xx. As for the numbers being across all Woot sites, do you really suspect that kids.woot.com or shirt.woot.com or wine.woot.com would have added more than 5 or so sales in the 2-3 minutes to sell out?

That said, you can get a rough idea of where you are, nothing more. There's a couple of people with order numbers much higher, but again I suspect there's some special with them and the number of people like that wouldn't be significant, especially looking at the numbers already submitted. I could be totally wrong, but this is what make sense given the information at hand.

Basically, if I had to guess, you were one of the first 300-500 to successfully Woot the BOC. If you have a better way of guesstimating, I'm all ears.

Edit:
So I'm revising my theory slightly, but it shouldn't affect what I said above.

I've been trying to puzzle out why there are a couple of people with order numbers that are significantly greater than the number sold, which is odd since the order number looks to be a monotonically increasing ID.

The revision is: when the sale gets low enough inventory needs to be checked and such everyone gets a temporary order number. If things go through, a new final order number is generated and assigned. That way it is simple to remove all of the people in line once everything is complete. This would account for the huge jumps in order numbers near the end, while keeping a fairly regular set of order numbers at the start.

That said, I'm inferring what's happening based on imperfect information, so take this with a grain of salt.

cew2008 wrote:I don't know either...my order number is 302355xx. So were there more than 3000 sold? More than the usual amount?
~
Hope not, that might mean they put less in them, 8)~

Hmmm... Maybe a couple orders were randomly selected for additional security screening... Just remember jokes about credit limits will be taken seriously here.

GuardianBob wrote:Hmmm... Maybe a couple orders were randomly selected for additional security screening... Just remember jokes about credit limits will be taken seriously here.

Have you heard the one about the credit limit a dolphin and a Baptist minister?

cew2008 wrote:I don't know either...my order number is 302355xx. So were there more than 3000 sold? More than the usual amount?
~
Hope not, that might mean they put less in them, 8)~

I know when i looked at the bunions shortly after getting my notification it stated something along the lines of 5582 items sold.

[Edit] Thank you Woot. bunions = stats

GuardianBob wrote:
The revision is: when the sale gets low enough inventory needs to be checked and such everyone gets a temporary order number. If things go through, a new final order number is generated and assigned. That way it is simple to remove all of the people in line once everything is complete. This would account for the huge jumps in order numbers near the end, while keeping a fairly regular set of order numbers at the start.

That said, I'm inferring what's happening based on imperfect information, so take this with a grain of salt.

Well, let me jump in with my theory to explain order numbers and irregularity at the end, if that's the topic of the day...

Let's suppose the order number is generated not when one completes the transaction by pressing the stupidly large button, but rather when they first click "Want One". If subsequently no order is placed, the number is discarded... This kind of makes sense, because it's easier to track the progression of specific order through the ordering screens, than just a generic numberless order.

Now with that in mind lets try to explain the phenomena we observe.

- As soon as BоС comes up, people start to hit the want button. Naturally, very few of those who pressed the button in first seconds then change their mind, and of course the first ones in are most likely to score unless there's a problem with their payment method. So in the beginning the order numbers are consistently sequential. Even if they experienced slow servers or crashes. For as long as they get in, their order numbers would be what they were when clicked want one. By the way, it may also explain the "speed to first woot" being in milliseconds.

- Then, those who come late in the game click want one. Because the longer the sale is on, the more people realize it's time to buy - the number of "want ones" increases with time, and their success ratio in the end decreases. In the end the lucky winners are not those who pressed want one earlier, but those who managed to go through the process and finish the transaction first. This explains why there are large blocks of unused order numbers concentrated at the end of sale, and actual final orders in the list come with big gaps in between.

This is the best explanation I can furnish for the facts that we do know. If someone thinks they can add to this theory (or debunk it) feel free to step in...

sheetz wrote:You will get a separate email with a separate tracking number for the Bowl of Cereal. You can also check your account page to see if the tracking number is there. I would be surprised if your crap had already shipped, it is still pretty early.

You were right... No idea why the shipping weight showed as 20 lbs, but it was for the screaming monkey. It now shows as delivered. I am in Dallas and usually receive my Bowl of Cereal within about a week after the woot-off is over. Looks like it may be a little longer this time.

willicaptain wrote:I think the best thing about getting a Bowl of Cereal is to read the message boards. The reason is, every once in a while, a Woot! staff member posts something. This means that they actually go through and read our wall posts. For some reason this gives me an extreme sense of comfort.

I also think one of the best things is reading the message boards. Except I just love reading everybody's stories and theories... I love Woot!!!

LEM- wrote:Well, let me jump in with my theory to explain order numbers and irregularity at the end, if that's the topic of the day...

Let's suppose the order number is generated not when one completes the transaction by pressing the stupidly large button, but rather when they first click "Want One". If subsequently no order is placed, the number is discarded... This kind of makes sense, because it's easier to track the progression of specific order through the ordering screens, than just a generic numberless order.

Now with that in mind lets try to explain the phenomena we observe.

- As soon as BоС comes up, people start to hit the want button. Naturally, very few of those who pressed the button in first seconds then change their mind, and of course the first ones in are most likely to score unless there's a problem with their payment method. So in the beginning the order numbers are consistently sequential. Even if they experienced slow servers or crashes. For as long as they get in, their order numbers would be what they were when clicked want one. By the way, it may also explain the "speed to first woot" being in milliseconds.

- Then, those who come late in the game click want one. Because the longer the sale is on, the more people realize it's time to buy - the number of "want ones" increases with time, and their success ratio in the end decreases. In the end the lucky winners are not those who pressed want one earlier, but those who managed to go through the process and finish the transaction first. This explains why there are large blocks of unused order numbers concentrated at the end of sale, and actual final orders in the list come with big gaps in between.

This is the best explanation I can furnish for the facts that we do know. If someone thinks they can add to this theory (or debunk it) feel free to step in...

Hmmm... I don't see any real holes; but, something about generating an order number when someone clicks "I want one" doesn't sit right with me. It would also mean that order # doesn't mean anything about who's in first, etc.

On the one hand, it feels like the request is generated (by the "Buy it" button) and handed to the cc processing server. If that comes back as denied (because it is over loaded or the card is denied) then the order number is discarded.

The reason I say that, is if I hit the I want one button first, but then take a minute to place my order, someone else may be marked as the "first sucker" and then they are replaced by me when I complete my order. Now I haven't watched close enough to see if the "first sucker" is replaced normally. I've seen it happen only once, and in that case there were people with negative time to ordering (meaning they ordered before the sale started).

GuardianBob wrote:Hmmm... I don't see any real holes; but, something about generating an order number when someone clicks "I want one" doesn't sit right with me. It would also mean that order # doesn't mean anything about who's in first, etc.

On the one hand, it feels like the request is generated (by the "Buy it" button) and handed to the cc processing server. If that comes back as denied (because it is over loaded or the card is denied) then the order number is discarded.

The reason I say that, is if I hit the I want one button first, but then take a minute to place my order, someone else may be marked as the "first sucker" and then they are replaced by me when I complete my order. Now I haven't watched close enough to see if the "first sucker" is replaced normally. I've seen it happen only once, and in that case there were people with negative time to ordering (meaning they ordered before the sale started).

I think you are right about order number generation not happening until the sale is through. Not complete, but when the order is in there system and the CC is being charged. Right before the stage where the order is confirmed. The gaps in order number mean nothing. They are likely a DB key that gets used by, not only the other woot sites, but any other type of "order" they may take into the system. Including a backorder, or anything else related to an order. While the first order is likely always the first order number for a product, the last order is likely never (the order number of the first order + Qty up for sale). There could be meny other things filling inbetween. BOCs happen so quickly that not much likely happens other then rejected CCs and overfills, but other things could happen as well. Like a backorder on the previous woot-off item.

szuccon1 wrote:I think you are right about order number generation not happening until the sale is through. Not complete, but when the order is in there system and the CC is being charged. Right before the stage where the order is confirmed. The gaps in order number mean nothing. They are likely a DB key that gets used by, not only the other woot sites, but any other type of "order" they may take into the system. Including a backorder, or anything else related to an order. While the first order is likely always the first order number for a product, the last order is likely never (the order number of the first order + Qty up for sale). There could be meny other things filling inbetween. BOCs happen so quickly that not much likely happens other then rejected CCs and overfills, but other things could happen as well. Like a backorder on the previous woot-off item.

Most. Boring. Thread. Ever.

Indiesol wrote:Most. Boring. Thread. Ever.

In my line of work, I find it riveting. Euthanasia please.

szuccon1 wrote:I think you are right about order number generation not happening until the sale is through. Not complete, but when the order is in there system and the CC is being charged. Right before the stage where the order is confirmed. The gaps in order number mean nothing. They are likely a DB key that gets used by, not only the other woot sites, but any other type of "order" they may take into the system. Including a backorder, or anything else related to an order. While the first order is likely always the first order number for a product, the last order is likely never (the order number of the first order + Qty up for sale). There could be meny other things filling inbetween. BOCs happen so quickly that not much likely happens other then rejected CCs and overfills, but other things could happen as well. Like a backorder on the previous woot-off item.

As a database manager I can tell you that the order number is created before there is payment. The payment will have its own transaction number and be tied to the order number via a primary key.

awtherfrd wrote:As a database manager I can tell you that the order number is created before there is payment. The payment will have its own transaction number and be tied to the order number via a primary key.

As a DB manager of a crappy legacy DB designed by people who were guessing, you have no idea how there system is designed. Unless you work for woot. I know where you are going. In an ideal world, thats how it works. I am just offering explainations on why there are gaps in order numbers and the range is larger then qty sold. Trust me, its not how I would design it, but some choose to work with DBs that have no business in DB and I have to clean up after them.

szuccon1 wrote:Trust me, its not how I would design it, but some choose to work with DBs that have no business in DB and I have to clean up after them.

A delightful job, isn't it?

fjohnette wrote:I'll be happy as long as it's not more Star Trek bobble heads.

I'll gladly take some of those off your hands!

Indiesol wrote:Most. Boring. Thread. Ever.

Don't worry. This mostly pointless discussion just fills the void from the time orders are in, until there's some kind of shipping activity. Usually these threads just die down, with hardly a page of posts during that week or so of waiting to spring back to life with several pages in one hour, when the shipping begins...

Once there's shipping data - it will come back to it's normal tracks! And for now people are bored of the waiting, so posting their thoughts on other sub-topics..

LEM- wrote:Don't worry. This mostly pointless discussion just fills the void from the time orders are in, until there's some kind of shipping activity. Usually these threads just die down, with hardly a page of posts during that week or so of waiting to spring back to life with several pages in one hour, when the shipping begins...

Once there's shipping data - it will come back to it's normal tracks! And for now people are bored of the waiting, so posting their thoughts on other sub-topics..

Where are those shipping updates anyway? Memorial Day must have pushed us back.

SuperTully wrote:Where are those shipping updates anyway? Memorial Day must have pushed us back.

Well, technically, today is day 4 (Wednesday = order day, Th (1), Fr (2), Mo (holiday), Tu (3), We (4)), and the Woot Gods said earlier in the thread that we should wait until Friday to hear a shipping update, basically because the holiday would push things back. Patience.

szuccon1 wrote:As a DB manager of a crappy legacy DB designed by people who were guessing, you have no idea how there system is designed. Unless you work for woot. I know where you are going. In an ideal world, thats how it works. I am just offering explainations on why there are gaps in order numbers and the range is larger then qty sold. Trust me, its not how I would design it, but some choose to work with DBs that have no business in DB and I have to clean up after them.

I only assume the best of Woot and their DB managers...

nforcer06164 wrote:Well, technically, today is day 4 (Wednesday = order day, Th (1), Fr (2), Mo (holiday), Tu (3), We (4)), and the Woot Gods said earlier in the thread that we should wait until Friday to hear a shipping update, basically because the holiday would push things back. Patience.

my best and completely uneducated guess is that we will start getting shipment notices this afternoon.

awtherfrd wrote:I only assume the best of Woot and their DB managers...

Now on the order numbers and the large range of numbers vs the actual number sold my best guess is that an order number is created once you put in your security code and hit submit. However this does not effect inventory until you click the ridiculously large button and your payment is processed.

Assuming that then as long as their is still inventory available you can have people creating orders.

Once you click the large button then I would assume you get placed in a que based on your order number or time stamp. There will be a certain number that never make click the big button, time out, or get declined, thus skipping to the next order in the que until all the inventory is sold.

That is my story and I am sticking to it...

To whomever is managing the wootsack site.... the submit button is disabled and I cannot post my crap :-(

edit: nevermind, it's all better....first time it didn't acknowledge the super secret numbers...

awtherfrd wrote:Now on the order numbers and the large range of numbers vs the actual number sold my best guess is that an order number is created once you put in your security code and hit submit. However this does not effect inventory until you click the ridiculously large button and your payment is processed.

Assuming that then as long as their is still inventory available you can have people creating orders.

Once you click the large button then I would assume you get placed in a que based on your order number or time stamp. There will be a certain number that never make click the big button, time out, or get declined, thus skipping to the next order in the que until all the inventory is sold.

That is my story and I am sticking to it...

The most likely and logical option. Your order ID is based on the first button click, and your order time/priority is based on the second button click. The time being irrelevant if your payment fails. All guesses of course. I have seen very ugly things on backends, so nothing would surprise me. I will stop borring everyone else because none of it matters to us. I just like guessing at how things work.