Barnes & Noble said yesterday that it was scaling back the retail launch of its Nook eReader.

The company originally planned to have the device in some stores today. Barnes & Noble now says the devices won’t hit retail locations until Dec. 7. Even then, the eReader will only be available in “very limited” numbers in the company’s highest-volume stores.

Online orders of the eReaders should not experience further delays, according to the company. Last week the company warned that all new orders of the Nook would not ship out until Jan. 4. Customers who pre-ordered the device were told the Nook would ship on Nov. 30. A second wave of shipments is slated for Dec. 11.

High demand and limited production has hindered a large-scale deployment of the Android-based device. Barnes & Noble has not released sales figures, but said in its earnings last week that it was ramping up the production schedule for the device. The company also has had to beef up its staff and marketing support to handle sales of the device.

Keeping up with demand also proved challenging for Amazon during last year’s holiday season, when stock of the Kindle ran out. Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble say their eReaders are the top-selling items on their respective Web sites.