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The real Christmas shortages

13 comments on The real Christmas shortages

The real Christmas shortages

: The Wall Street Journal and then the rest of the world reported dire iPod shortages this week. My wife went to the local Apple store and found plenty in all colors.

However, there are two other dire shortages I’ve seen:

First, American Girl dolls, clothes, and furniture and backordered well into next spring and even into next year. The eBay market is going wild. Could be because of the recent American Girl TV movie or because of bad planning.

Second, I’ve seen Sirius essentially sold out at all our local electronics stores.

13 responses to “The real Christmas shortages”

  1. Rex Hammock Avatar
    Rex Hammock

    I think it is the iPod 20G that’s in short supply, not the colorful minis. And WOW on that news about American Girls: I’ll start posting my daughter’s collection on eBay tomorrow (just kidding).

  2. Steve Talbert Avatar
    Steve Talbert

    I think the American Girl Doll shortage is because there is no shortage of parents so pathetically insecure that they want their daughters to dress up like a doll… like all the other daughters that are dressing up like a doll.
    Maybe because I am a guy in my 40s and remember my sisters dressing up their dolls to look like them? when did it change that girls wanted to look like the dolls instead? Is life that pathetic in Red States?

  3. Jeff Jarvis Avatar
    Jeff Jarvis

    Well, Steve, aren’t we a ray of sunshine on this fine weekend? Jeesh. Little girls like dolls. Newsflash.

  4. Frank S. Avatar
    Frank S.

    Just a report that iPods are in short supply should only serve to make the demand to go up even more. (“What? They’re hard to find? I MUST HAVE ONE!!!)

  5. Penschool Avatar
    Penschool

    I believe there are also shortages of future social security benefits, warm jackets for the homeless, and food for the hungry.

  6. Matt Avatar
    Matt

    “I believe there are also shortages of future social security benefits, warm jackets for the homeless, and food for the hungry.”
    That’s what I thought Jeff was getting at when I read “The real Christmas shortages.” And if not those things, something like “free speech, an understanding of the Iraqi people, etc.”
    Next time.

  7. Jeff Jarvis Avatar
    Jeff Jarvis

    Oh, Jeesh.

  8. Dr. Fager Avatar
    Dr. Fager

    I have XM and can tell you that satellite radio is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

  9. Frank Catalano Avatar
    Frank Catalano

    I’ve also seen plenty of iPods and, when it comes to the 20GB models, lots of the HP-branded iPods in stores such as Target and Fred Meyer (a Northwest regional chain). I wonder how many reporters these days look beyond the news releases and “industry analyst” quotes to actually walk into a few stores?
    Having reviewed tech toys for more than a half-dozen years (and just wrote an essay, When Tech Toys Attack, on my own blog), it’s interesting to see this year that the hottest tech toy isn’t for kids at all — it’s the iPod (some would add Robosabien, but I think that’s PR-driven and TV ad-driven hype).
    I am pleased, however, to report E-L-M-O doesn’t appear to be a must have.

  10. Doug Avatar
    Doug

    Weird – I’ve seen plenty of Sirius units at local stores by me, while XM’s are a bit more difficult to find, particularly their portable MyFi units. iPod units are around as well. The most difficult thing to find was the Nintendo DS.

  11. Joseph Avatar
    Joseph

    Social conscious vs. conspicuous consumption. Jeesh, indeed.

  12. pp Avatar
    pp

    My sis tried to get the new Nintendo handheld in Sacramento and on the web…Nada. Finally found it in a little electronic store tucked away in a mall. When she found out how “scarce” they were she tried even harder..”No one is going to tell me I can’t buy something”
    Hype breeds hype

  13. Seth Avatar
    Seth

    I think there is a shortage critical journalism. TIME should have nominated the person in charge of PR at Apple as person of the year. Whoever is running the PR show back at Apple should be put on the shoulders of stockholders everywhere and paraded down the street, like the genius they are.
    I can’t believe that so much newsprint and air time this year has been wasted on news about the ipod. When the ipod-mini was coming it out, the story was on CNN headline news! An mp3 player was headline news!
    Don’t we have real things to put in our newspapers?