[Tom Line]

While we're at it, let's talk about the root cause of the issue.

FIRST is small. The organization is shockingly small: a lot of people thing FIRST a huge company when they're actually tiny.

So are a lot of their suppliers. Cross the Road is tiny. Andy Mark is small. Banebots. 221. Robot Shop. Vex Pro is pretty small too. They serve a very 'niche' market. The demand happens in a 6 week time span, and any inventory they don't sell ends up as taxable stuff sitting on a shelf costing them big bucks.

I work for Ford, and anyone who orders cars can tell you that we actually run out of cars from time to time. Especially hot selling models - you may end up waiting weeks for one. Same for all the other auto makers, and we're talking about a hugely mass-produced item with a fairly predictable market volume curve. It's like X-Box's and Playstations at Christmas when a new model comes out. Good luck getting it for a reasonable price - unless you preorder or stand in line for days.

None of this makes anyone feel better, I'm sure. When something is out, it sucks. However, it's the reality of any type of real manufacturing.