I was talking with my local Gamestop/EB Games manager last week. He told me that Sony has warned retailers that there will be shortages in January so aparently Gamestop/EB Games head office has ordered extra PS3s so that they know they will have stock through January.
He also said it is annoying because the product sales aren't matching up with the shipments so he has tons of PS3s in the back while 360's are selling out...
Therefore it doesn't surprise me to hear the OP say the same. Apparently most retailers have done the same.
The bigger question is why did Sony do this? My local Gamestop/EB Games manager (he's a huge Sony fan) says this usually means a hardware change. They stuff the channel with all the old stuff, let it sell out, and then introduce something new.
Is a price drop / hardware change imminent in late winter / early spring?