This is probably true and also the stores probably didn't order many. Places like Wal-Mart, Gamestop, Toys R Us would have been informed about it months before release. Nintendo shipped how many retail outlets ordered, which probably wasn't much. Specially considering that the other plug n play devices sell like shit at 20 - 30 bucks with 3 - 4 times the amount of games, and this was coming from a company having a hard time moving their main console, retail chains probably didn't have much faith in it. Then boom everyone wants one and there's no time in the production pipeline (remember they don't own factories and have to get time in one), chips ordered, produced, assembled and shipped from China on a boat. My guess is February or March there's going to be a shit ton of them in stores once production has caught up and finally ships a bunch.
It's not some grand scheme, they're a conservative company that doesn't want a ton of stock sitting on shelves not selling.

