Jan 4, 2009

Wii, Uggs among few bright spots for retailersBy Washington PostIndyStar.com

The presents have been unwrapped, the tree taken down. And Santa still hasn’t brought you that Wii. Don’t worry. You are not alone.

Despite the economic gloom and doom that saddled this Christmas shopping season, a few products rose above the recession and flew off the shelves faster than eight magical reindeer.

Gifts such as the Nintendo Wii, Amazon’s electronic book reader Kindle and those furry Ugg boots remain in short supply — a sign that consumers may not be quite ready to cut every indulgence out of their budgets.

“If people think it’s going to be rare and in short (supply), they’re more apt to make it more of a priority,” said Dan Butler, a vice president at the National Retail Federation, a trade group.

The Wii video game console has been one of the most elusive gifts since it debuted in November 2006.

This year, the Wii and Nintendo’s DS gaming console set sales records in November, and they are on track to beat the record for the most video game systems sold in one year, according to the company.

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