Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

October 10, 2008 3:58:11 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

By Any Means Necessary: Buying a Wii

Posted Dec 8, 07 12:26 PM CST in Arts & Living,  Technology 

(Newser) – The holiday-season shortage of Nintendo’s Wii console is fostering some creative  shopping strategies, shared on a number of websites devoted to tracking down the device, the Washington Post reports. One advises Wii hopefuls not to ask store employees when the next shipment will arrive—instead, ask when the last one came in: "This is a question they can actually answer and gets the conversation going."

Sites instruct shoppers on consumer espionage, revealing a code that will supposedly yield Wii availability from Target price scanners, or advise them to drive to stores in remote areas. Others suggests a more Zen approach: "Finding a Wii was like finding a great girlfriend--I just had to stop stressing about it, and then I suddenly lucked into one at Target one day," one posting read.

Source Washington Post

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Startup Goes After Nintendo Over Patents

    Aug 20, 08 5:50 PM CDT
    Startup Goes After Nintendo Over Patents A Maryland tech firm claims that Nintendo stole some of its technology for the popular Wii console, the Wall Street Journal reports. Hillcrest Laboratories filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission, alleging that Nintendo infringed on patents for motion-sensing technology. It wants to ban Wii consoles from being imported to the US, and a lawsuit is pending. Nintendo had no comment on the complaint.
    More »

  • Japan's Arcades Fall Before Mighty Wii

    May 19, 08 4:00 PM CDT
    Japan's Arcades Fall Before Mighty Wii Japan’s arcades are in trouble, Reuters reports. For years, they’ve been immune to the ravages plaguing arcades elsewhere, but the $6.9 billion industry has met its match in the Nintendo Wii. A new generation of game consoles, coupled with an explosion of high-end TVs, has made the arcade experience easy to recreate at home—leading to big store closings at major chains. More »

  • Smoking May Be Harmful to Your Wii

    Mar 13, 08 12:41 PM CDT
    Smoking May Be Harmful to Your Wii Here's another reason to stop smoking: It damages your Wii. Some cigarette-wielding users in Japan last month noticed that the much anticipated "Super Smash Brothers Brawl" wasn't working properly, prompting Nintendo to provide free shipping and cleanup of tar-covered disc readers, the Boston Herald reports. Nintendo says the issue affects a "very small percentage" of more than 20 million consoles worldwide. More »

  • Guaranteed Wii ... Come January

    Dec 14, 07 6:25 PM CST
    Guaranteed Wii ... Come January Kids hoping to score a Nintendo Wii this Christmas might have to settle for a skimpy rain check instead, the Los Angeles Times reports. Nintendo has completely sold out of its popular video-game console and won't be shipping any new units until January. Instead, buyers can reserve systems with full-price "Wii Certificates" available Dec. 20-21 at GameStop. More »

  • Wii Remains Hottest Seller for Holidays

    Dec 14, 07 9:59 AM CST
    Wii Remains Hottest Seller for Holidays Nintendo’s Wii remained the hottest-selling—and hardest to find—game console in the US in November as shoppers snapped up nearly 1 million units, Reuters reports. Shoppers desperate for holiday presents have been standing in line at stores more than 14 hours to get a crack at one, and paying double the $249 retail price on Craigslist and eBay, the Columbus Dispatch notes. Some are offering trades of wedding bands and cars.
     More »

Customers line-up to purchase Wii video game consoles at the Nintendo World store in New York's Rockefeller Center in this June 21, 2007 file photo. A year after its launch, the small video game console...   (Associated Press)
A customer, right, hands over his credit card to purchase Wii video game console at the Nintendo World store in New York's Rockefeller Center in this June 21, 2007 file photo. A year after its launch,...   (Associated Press)
In this photo released by Nintendo, Aaron Lunning, 11, of New York, reacts as his mom Rachel Cohen-Lunning is among the first in the U.S. to purchase Super Mario Galaxy for Wii, early Monday, Nov. 12,...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Threads (
1
 of 3)

Tags

Nintendo Wii  • holiday shopping  • video game console  • shortage


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Technology Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »