The Nintendo Wii is proving to be one of the most elusive gifts to find for this holiday season. It has been hard to get your hands on one since they came out. Now that the busiest shopping season of the year is upon us, finding a Wii will become even more difficult. My mom managed to get her hands on 4 of them in the past month so I ask her how she did it. Turns out she didn’t have to do anything too crazy or spend a penny more than the retail price. Based on her advice, here are my tips for getting your hands on a Wii before Christmas.

1. Ask when the truck comes in. This method applies to all retail stores. Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Meijer, K-Mart, etc. Just ask the store manager or someone in the electronics department when the next truck comes in. Then show up at the same time. Most Wal-Marts and Meijer stores are open 24 hours so you may have to go at 2 a.m.
2. Wait in line. Stores that aren’t open 24 hours will often let you line up a little while before the store opens and will give you a “ticket” with a number. If you have a ticket you get a Wii, simple as that. I would recommend calling a head to see which stores participate in this method, but I know for certain that Best Buy does.
3. Order Online. This may be obvious but in order for success, I recommend staying away from the “big name” stores like Amazon.com and the like. Smaller electronics-only retailers like Newegg.com often have them in stock. Google can be your best friend when finding the right store. Make sure they are a reputable retailer and guarantee shipping dates.
4. Don’t buy from E-bay or online auction sites. You may be able to find 100’s Wii’s available on E-bay, but chances are you will pay a premium and have to pay extra for shipping. I love E-bay but for time-critical situations like this, I wouldn’t risk it.
5. Be willing to drive. One of the best ways I have ever found to find that elusive item, whether it be a Wii, or any other popular holiday gift is to be willing to drive. I live in an area with lots of small towns close buy. Each one of these town usually has a Wal-Mart or similar retailer that have popular items in stock. The smaller the town the better in this situation. I once drove around a big town all day checking every store I could find for an elusive item for my son. No luck. On my way home I drove through a small town with a Wal-Mart and thought I would just “check”. Low-and-behold they had not one, but multiple of the item in stock. Call ahead to these small town superstores and see if they have what you are looking for in stock. You may be surprised!

I hope this short list provides a tip that lands you a Wii. Come to think of it, this list is a good start for getting any hard-to-find item. Good luck and happy shopping!

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