Wii + frustrating life lesson

[Orchids]

My 9 year old has been saving his money for 5 months now so he can buy himself a Wii gaming system. He has done odd jobs and not bought himself anything during this time because he wanted to do this himself. Now he is $10 bucks shy of his target, but there are none of these systems to be had anywhere. He is frustrated to say the least and I can't help him because they just aren't available. I've tried to tell him that by Feb/Mar, there should be some, but it doesn't help him now.

I am proud of him for saving his money and doing this on his own, I just feel bad he now has to wait until they are available again.

Just venting.....

[crp]

Not sure about their availability in Feb/March of this year either.

The Wii was released in the Fall of 2006 and the demand hasn't let up yet.

Your best bet is to go to Best Buy or Circuit City before they open on Sunday morning and hope they have some.

Good luck.

[drauka99]

every few days call Target and game places and find out when they are getting shippments. Around here they were helpful with a buddy of mine finding one for his kids.

[spoiledcats]

Since it is right after Christmas, I'm sure it will be a couple of months before these things are available again.

[chrisguy]

If the above advice (all very good) does not work, check this site regularly. http://www.nowinstock.net/wii/ I used it to find Guitar Hero III for the Wii before X-Mas.

[Kevomac]

Best Buy had some the day after Christmas, but had no extra controllers! I got one for my son by calling GameStop and asking when they were getting some in. I had to be outside the store at 5 AM on Black Friday in 37 degree weather the store opened at 7 AM, so not too bad), but I got one. This time of year, you shouldn't have to camp out. Just find out when they're coming in and be there when they open.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I've helped a couple friends find them, and am now looking for one for myself. I guess this was the stupid approach, I shoulda just kept one of the ones I already found!

itrackr.com - it's accurate for Targets, less so for other stores. Learn when your local stores get shipments, it'll be different everywhere.

Last holiday season, Target had the habit of holding stock until certain Sunday mornings, then releasing. So even if the store had them, they wouldn't sell them until a particular Sunday morning - they were even advertising this in their store fliers. It was a nationwide policy. I haven't really heard about that this year, so you really need to know the specific day/time that a particular store gets them in stock.

The other optoin is fleabay, and paying $50+ over retail. Forget about online retailers, they're all either charging stupid-high prices or only selling them in bundles (usually with 5 or 6 games you probably don't want and can definitely get cheaper.)

There was a rumor that Wal-Mart was hording them for release in stores on Jan 25, but this may have just been confusion based on the fact that they're shipping consoles bought online as part of bundles on that date.

Also, don't forget less obvious retailers. Everyone is picking over the obvious stores (toy stores, Target, Wal mart, EB Games, etc) but there are stories of some less obvious merchants having dozens on the shelf (Sam's Club, BJ's, Sears, etc.)

At any rate, I'm willing to bet that by Feb, you'll be able to just walk into a store and pick one off the shelf in most areas.

Good luck! And Kudos to your son. Saving $250 is a big accomplishment for a 9 year old, and hopefully he'll still learn a lesson about positive money management even if he isn't getting instant gratification. At the least, he can look at this as a way to save a few extra bucks so he can get some cool accessories or games with his console.

[LauraCline]

I work at Wally world and we usually get shipments of Wii on Tues., Wed. Or Thurs. via UPS between 12:30-2pm. If you call Electronics and speak to the Dept. Manager on Mondays, he/she can tell you when they expect the next shipment and how many are coming. Then be there that day and do not leave the electronics area until they arrive. We are not a Supercenter so we typically get anly about 20 at a time and they always sell out pretty quickly. We are not getting as many calls for them as before the holidays so hopefully you will be able to find him one now. Good Luck. Also the rumor about Jan. 25th has no truth to it at all, period. No Wiis are being held by Walmart anywhere for any reason. We want merchandise to turn over as quickly as possible because storing, moving, and managing it all cuts down on profitability and ticks customers off. Besides that we just don't have the space to horde anything for a future sale.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Unfortunately the fact that Target actually DID do that in the past has spawned many rumors that other stores were doing it too.

[xxaquanutxx]

Kudos to your son for doing a great job on earning money to buy the Wii for himself.

Why dont you try calling one of the guys at the electronics centers and tell him you will pass him $50 to hold one for you as soon as they come in. Your little guy sounds like he deserves a break... but then again dissapointment builds character.

At least that is what I would do... good luck none the less!

[Orchids]

Thanks all. He is a good kid and has saved his money for other items in the past. He bought himself a nice digital camera last year.

I guess I will go the route of calling and asking to different retailers, I'll see how it goes. For now, most of my friends are on call and will pick one up if they see it.

We'll see how it goes, I live in central NJ so there are lots of stores to call and check in with on a weekly basis.

VM

[dc]

Well just keep encouraging him to save, maybe he can save enough for a special game while he's waiting. I've seen them more than once, I should have scooped them up. I don't want one...

[snulma1]

http://www.pandorascube.com/

they have them in stock if he is willing to get it shipped! I bought mine from there and they were great!

good luck!

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Too bad they want $160 over list price for just the basic console.

[snulma1]

yeah, that part did suck, but it was either pay that or wait and fight with other people for it. I chose the easier route.

[Altpers0na]

+1 for walmart...

i think ours also gets them on tuesday...

[Lotus99]

I read somewhere that GameSpot was selling rainchecks for Wiis. You might want to give them a call and see if they're still doing that. It was for the regular price.

We got one last May by finding out the delivery date, and being at Target first thing in the morning. Most of the clerks at the stores will tell you the day they get them in. OK, so getting up to be at a store on 8 a.m. on a Sunday isn't much fun, but he did work hard to get it.

[sugartooth]

Our Game Stop stores here also offer rain checks with the guarantee that you will get one by the end of January.

Good luck and great job to your son!