I'm in the Wally World party too. I really appreciate the approach and comments in this thread. Seems Amazon guys/gals had the loudest screams to start with. Then Best Buy. So from what I've been observing, is that those were the retailers BW/EA has contacted/consulted first.
Perhaps with enough calm discussion in this thread we will get a little help as well.
Far as I can tell from everything I have read (fine print and all), is that Wal-Mart will ship the CE on the 20th (please allow 8-9 business days). Granted, that same 8-9 business days was also stated about the pre-order code which arrived in 5 days.
Still, with no grace period. We will most likely be the majority that may get a little EA time, and then forced into a break until the physical item hits our doorsteps.
Playing it cool, is the only way to handle this.
Meh, I'm not homeless or hungry or in prison right now.