A Japanese retailer claims to its shop will only be making ¥700 (US$7.40) on each PS3 Slim sold.
The reason for this, it seems, is buying the consoles from Sony and then selling the console at sticker price. We don't have any data other than this and do not know how the PS3 Slim compares to other newly launched hardware in Japan and aboard.
If anything, brand new hardware seems like a money pit — everyone is banking on software sales. We're confident as the PS3 Slim ages, it will become profitable for retailers and Sony. Be patient!