i know this probably doesn't help (what with you being in the US), but what the hell...
a friend and i went to a shop called comet over here just the other day, and they only had 3 pre-orders infront of us. basically they are a big shop that sell lots of tv's, fridges, computers etc etc... basically electrical appliances.
i guess my point is, try looking in places that are less obvious, and yet still sell consoles etc.... as they are more likely to not have filled up on pre-orders.
as it happens we both have pre-orders down on play.com too, but recieved an email saying they couldn't guarantee delivery before xmas due to shortages... so we went and whacked down this other pre-order as a safety if you will. if one turns up and the other doesn't... great, if they both turn up then we'll just sell the other one on ebay. everybody's a winner!