What's the best way to get a Nintendo Wii at the retail price?
The Nintendo Wii is still ridiculously hard to find in retail stores. So what’s the best strategy for getting one without paying the inflated going rates on eBay or craigslist? Is it easier to find at brick-and-mortar or online stores? Which stores are the best?
I know that Apple has a site that shows iPhone availablitiy at their retail stores, which was helpful when the product was difficult to find. Is there any equivalent site for Wii availability?
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This time of year, doubtful. I saw a couple at Hollywood video of all places. So you might check some obscure places like that.
Sometimes asking Best Buy employees can be helpful. Last year Best Buy was stockpiling Wiis and putting them out on Sundays. Actually procuring a Wii involved standing in line at 4am. I don’t know what they’re doing this year.
Do you know a Nintendo employee? Employees can purchase Wiis at NOA in Seattle.
Check out Wii Tracker its a Wii Inventory tracker at different online stores. Granted this works ok, I haven’t found these sites to be very reliable.
Your best for getting the Wii is to use the following stratedgy, which I use:
1) Get information from store employees at your local Target, BestBuy, Meijer’s, etc. Find out from the manager of the Video Gaming department when they expect shipment, etc.
2) Bookmark the Wii pages for sale on CircuitCity.com, BestBuy.com, Target.com, Walmart.com, etc And check those pages daily. Your best bet is early morning when inventory has a tendency to go online (i.e. 7–8AM).
3) Read the forums for the Wii on Fatwallet for any possbile leads and inventories that may have come online from other sources your not already checking. Also read the forums, posted on Amazon.com on the Wii console page. Last year I was able to get a really good tip that Costco’s had gotten a shipment of their bundles in stock of their bundle a week or two after the launch and I was able to snag one for a gift.
The key is persistence and constantly check throughout the day at least every couple of hours.
Good Luck!
R
check out some of the larger retail stores like walmart and such, where people aren’t really specializing their interests in gaming. You might have to wait for a release or two, and maybe conquer a line with a folding chair, but it beats knowing you were suckered into double the money, right?
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