Craig,

Let me try to answer some of your questions.

#1 I have found that normally the cage cashier is the last person to have any information. Many times I have filled in the cage cashier as to what was going on in their own casino.

#2 A big mistake on your part was leaving, and coming back a full half hour after a chip was scheduled to be released. I've seen casino's go thru 1000 limited edition chips in half an hour.
I guarantee you there where people waiting in line at 7pm for whatever sets where available to sell out of the cage.

#3 A guy walking in off the street looking for 1 set of chips isn't going to be told about a list.
The people on the list for the most part are new chip service people who guarantee the casino that they will buy x amount of chips of every issue that the casino puts out. This helps the casino know how many chips to make, and it helps the people who want to collect LE chips who can't be in Las Vegas when every chip is released.

I know this doesn't put a set of these chips in your collection, but maybe it will help you to better understand the mechanics of a new chip release.

Best regards,
Ralph