proof that nintendo is stock piling wiis?

[marc]

I think the reason any company piles anything for the holidays is to stunt competition. The reality is, the number of consoles sold would be the same for the Wii regardless of when those consoles are released however this is a distinct market that opens up during the holidays that is otherwise unavailable any other time of the year.

During the holidays, people feel obligated to buy gifts. This is something that is untrue during the rest of the year. At this time, the number of impulse buyers increases dramatically. People who normally wouldnt buy a console for whatever reason from being low income to not having personal interest will all of a sudden consider it as a gift for someone like thier kids. This market is not available the rest of the year so to sell to them you have to put your products on the shelves or they will buy a competitors product instead.

The idea here, is the holiday shopper is not like the normal every day shopper. A product can expand their install base by selling to these people rather than to their normal customers because the normal customer will buy the product anyway at any time. If the Wii doesnt keep the shelves stocked then those impulse buyers will simply buy a different console and those customers will be lost permanently.

Any way thats just my take on it. Not sure if that is true or whether or not its the primary reason to stockpile.