Wii unavailability costing Nintendo a billion in sales
Those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. Or in this case, the consumers are doomed to repeat it. The New York Times reports that when it comes to getting a Wii in 2007, its looking remarkably similar to 2006. Analysts say Nintendo is leaving $1 billion in sales "on the table" by not having enough consoles to satiate demand this holiday.
Nintendo of America's George "One foot out the door" Harrison tells the NYT that the company hasn't made any mistakes, though it does worry about consumers purchasing another system. Lazard Capital Market's Colin Sebastian is quoted in the piece as saying 86,000 Wiis have hit eBay since Dec. 4, with the average end price for the system being $320, a 28% increase over retail. If you're still looking for a Wii this holiday, just keep calling stores every day -- obtaining one at this point is not for the weak.
