iPod shuffle Proves Elusive

I've made a habit of calling the four Apple stores in Illinois daily, to discover if they have received an inventory of iPod shuffles. I've had no luck yet, but at least three of them have gotten some in, only to have sold out even before I called. The earliest shipment was last Friday at the Skokie store, but they only received the 512MB model. It seems the locations are realizing the demand, and attempting to stem the probably large volume of callers like me daily--I just called the North Michigan Avenue store, and was invited to put my name and phone number on a list, so that they can call me as soon as the 1GB model arrives.
What with the 3-4 week wait at the online store, I'm hoping I can get my hands on one before my trip next week.