nook sold out until January!

[CaliMar]

Interesting that when I made my first post about this, there was no thread yet covering the sold-out story (I looked before posting), but my post got moved into the middle of this thread.

I'm not sure everyone understands that B&N can't just pick up the phone and call the factory and say "We need an additional 500,000 units before Christmas." It's not a downloadable product they're selling, it takes real physical materials to build, which has delays in availability of parts, shipping times, manufacture times, and then more shipping times. {snip}

Yeah, I think the general public is rather educated and understands this. Can't imagine anyone who thinks products arrive with the snap of the fingers. But realistically... it's 2009... supply-chain management is a well understood... and practiced... discipline by successful corporations.

[kezza]

People seem quick to forget (B&N is on this list, too) that when Amazon released the Kindle it was months before they were caught up with their orders. As soon as it was "in stock," it would be out of stock again and people would go on the wait list. If my memory serves, it took close to a year for them to really catch up. They also started taking orders long before they were ready to ship. Amazon must not have known how popular the device was, and B&N must not have realized it, either.
Also, as mentioned above, B&N can't just generate these devices out of thin air. They rely on multiple manufacturers for their parts, and I suspect the e-ink screens aren't produced in terribly high volumes. Wasn't it something about parts shortages that kept the Wii out of stock everywhere for so long?

[MarthaT]

Glad I got in early

[Roxie]

Glad I got in early

Me too!! I am so excited to get my nook!! :woohoo:

[Astoria]

Glad I got in early

I am glad I pre-ordered mine early too.

[Selcien]

The mistake both B&N and Sony made was to try and bite into the Christmas buying season when neither were fully ready for it. They're are hoping for brand loyalty for the consumer to sit and wait until the product arrives, while at that same time playing like thay had more than enough product and were suprised by the high demand. I believe both knew all along that that didn't have enough product to meet demand for the Holiday season.

It's a calculated risk that they had to take, they couldn't very well wait until they had enough product, and then start selling as the people that got Kindles for Christmas would be past the return window.

The way it is now, people can get a Kindle for Christmas, play around with it for a bit, check out user opinions of the other readers that they couldn't get for Christmas, and if they desire, they can then send the Kindle back to Amazon for a full refund, and use that money to buy one of the other readers.

Amazon's return policy is leaving the door wide open for the competition as the holiday Kindle sales are not locked in until February 1, 2010.

Just double checking if you know that once you open your nook, you'll be charged a 10% restocking fee. Sounds like you do, but jic...

I thought there was a restocking fee regardless of whether it's been opened. Good to know.

[fahrenheit451]

I thought there was a restocking fee regardless of whether it's been opened. Good to know.

Here is the exact text from the B&N FAQ page:

Can I return my nook?

Yes. You can return nook within 14 days of receipt. Either call 1-800-THE-BOOK (843-2665) for a return authorization or return it to any Barnes & Noble store. A 10% restocking fee will be charged to customers returning a non-defective device that has had its shrink wrap removed and/or seal broken.

[rachel]

Well as of today, if you pre-order, your nook won’t ship until January 11. I am glad I went ahead and got my pre-order in just in case I can’t get it in stores!! At least I’ll have it shipped January 4th. I have a feeling once reviews, videos and pictures come out, and if they are favorable, that that ship date will only go farther and farther out!

Rachel

[kezza]

Rachel: you might want to put up a "Buy, Sell, Trade" section here for people who want to buy nook and those who want to sell theirs, to avoid the restocking fee. Perhaps you could get your nook a little earlier that way!

[rachel]

Ooooh good idea!!

Rachel