Best Buy inventory: a theory

Stateside, we acquired one of the blue 1gb / 120gb / XP AA1s from a local Best Buy a week ago. We'd like to get a second one, and I have been keeping a very close and regular eye on local store inventories (there are six stores in my immediate area). None have been replenished at all since our purchase.

Based on this "behavior" along with my past scarce-electronics-hunting experience from the early days of the Wii release, I suspect Best Buy is hoarding their supply of AA1s (if there is any?) at their warehouses in order to facilitate a soon-forthcoming Sunday-ad posting.

If you're in the States and looking for a 3-cell 150, I'd get up early on Sunday morning (or, if that fails, next Sunday morning) to check the weekly ad on their site.

I also imagine Circuit City will behave similarly when and if they begin carrying the 150s for as long as the unit remains in heavy demand.

 

Acer Aspire One the Nintendo Wii for laptops.

 

BB just updated their website to "Limited Availability" vice "Available at most Stores" for the Aspire One. Guess that's a good indication that they don't intend to stock any more... :cry:

 

nintendo wii of laptops :lol:

well to be honest i think they may be getting in a shipment of the 6 cell models. they probably sold the

3 cells to see how popular it was. Mind you they are sold out at all bb's and they didn't even have a display

model out on the floor (in my area anyway).

 

The problem is that with tax it'll cost around $375. So for $25 more I can get 40GB more storage and a 6 cell battery.

 

2 weeks ago when i went to bestbuy, they told me they'll have new stock after 6 weeks. they also said the initial stock was like some kind of an "experiment" or something. so if this is true, they might have it back on stock last week of sept or early oct.

 

I stopped by the local BB this morning and asked if any were inbound for their weekly supply stock. He said no and that model was "deleted". Not sure what that meant, but I suspect if they do get anymore, they'll be the 160GB version.

 

I got the same line about it being a "discontinued item" in store four or five days ago. But frankly the source didn't seem too authoritative (can you *ever* believe a thing a Best Buy-employed teenager says?), and it didn't disappear from the website.

This morning, despite no mention of the AA1 in the local weekly ad, *all* of the stores in my area are showing them as having them in stock.

Your mileage may vary.

 

Same here in western Michigan. I am tempted, but will hold out for the 6 cell model.

 

It was all a sham. Three stores in a row claimed they had no idea what the BB website was talking about, they hadn't seen any for 2+ weeks and their inventory system was "acting up" (not that it was ever worth a darn in the first place). By the time we got to the third one, the "everyone has them" had turned back to "no one has them."

It's amazing that company can stay afloat as hopeless as they always are with things like this. I worked briefly for them as a second job seven years ago and the confusion over inventory-- unbelievably backward at that time-- has only gotten worse with age. Add to it that only about one kid on each sales floor even had the slightest clue what we were talking about when we came in-- this for probably the single hottest Wintel mobile product on the US market at the moment...

Between Best Buy's total incompetence, Circuit City's seeming non-participation (does that company even want to live any more?), and the tax added on, I think I'm now committed to waiting around for the Onyx Black six-cell through another channel... however long that takes...

 

Well, I just checked Best Buy's website and the 120 GB model is officially gone. I'm guessing they have completely run out and the 160 GB models have not come in yet. This would account for the supply issues people have been reporting. I have one on order with Amazon, $399 with free shipping. Just waiting for the slow boat from Japan/China (Don't know where they are manufactured) to deliver it. Luckly I don't have to travel too much, just heading to London England on Wed!! Cheers!!!

 

Their site is not even showing the One at all now.

The tax and shipping thing is kind of a big deal too. That was one of the reasons I chose not to get the Dell. They charge tax and shipping.

 

Not only the best buy website but also newegg just took down their 8GB 6cell model. Im not sure what to think of this.