There’s no question that the Wii is one of the most popular gift items this holiday season, and it’s no surprise that Nintendo’s supply simply can’t meet the demand. (OK, maybe a little … I still can’t quite wrap my head around it.) When Nintendo partnered with GameStop to announce the Wii ‘Rain Check’ program (a one-day reserve program that would guarantee a console some time January), it wasn’t hard to imagine the resulting lines of parents shoving one another to the ground.
But according to a few GameStop store managers we spoke with, the program wasn’t quite as successful as they had anticipated. One store manager we spoke with thought he would stripped of his 18 available rain checks within minutes, but was still sitting on nine of them the following day. As a result, we were told the rain check program was extended beyond the initial December 21 “one day only” period.
While some stores were able to sell through all of their rain checks (which required a fully refundable payment of $249.99), there were many who simply couldn’t, despite promotional signage and phone calls.
“People have been calling about the Wii for months,” said one employee who wishes to remain anonymous, “so it’s shocking we still have rain checks left. Most people said they needed the system for Christmas, and were sure they’d be able to find one elsewhere, even though it’s only a few days away. Good luck with that.”
Despite the lack of success some stores may have had with the rain check program, there’s no doubt about it, the demand for the Wii is still there … Santa just needs it now. For those of you who are willing to wait, check your local GameStop or EB Games and let us know if you have any success securing an empty box and a product voucher.
