Was it a Wii or a PS3 Black Friday?

Next Generation took a quick survey to see how the Blachekcinck Friday sales went. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the start of the end-of-year shopping season for many Americans. The YouTube video from msmpenguin below shows what Black Friday can be like (for those of you who aren’t Americans or usually spend this day sleeping in). Wonder how many of those people are waiting for a game console?

It wasn’t busy. Next-Generation asked a few East Coast retailers for feedback. It turns out that Thanksgiving was busier for some of them – busier than the launch weekend of the PS3 and Wii, but not necessarily any busier than previous years. An employee of Game Attic in Lakeland, Florida, said they did better than last year but not better than two years ago.

No, it was busy. Over at Play N Trade in Forked River NJ, the testimony was “I wouldn’t say a lot busier, but it seems busier. We were actually busy the day before Thanksgiving, which was a shock.”

People asked for PS3s. The availability of the PS3 and Wii continues to be a big deal, with 8 out of 10 customers asking for them according to a Game Crazy manager in Albany (who also said the PS3 “probably” had more inquiries because “people think that the Wii is more kid-oriented”).

No, people asked for Wiis. It was different over at Video Game Heaven in North Chesapeake VA. The owner said, “I think more people were asking for the Wii because they thought that was more obtainable.” Howard at Fun N Games in Pompton Lake NJ said that “it looks like Wii is bigger right this second” – most customers don’t expect a PS3 to be available at all. At the Play N Trade, it was the same (the store had no PS3s but got six Wiis) – “they knew that they were just wasting their breath to ask for the PS3s.”

Conclusion. The way we see it, there are many reasons why people ask or don’t ask for a console. If they don’t ask, maybe they already have one, or they plan to get one at Wal-Mart or Best Buy or something, or they’ve just run out of hope. If they do ask, that’s a sign that demand is high or it means that the delivery and distribution system was mismanaged. In other words, this survey isn’t really that conclusive of anything.

But it’s interesting – too many people forget that the retail industry isn’t just Wal-Mart or GameStop. Finally, hugs for those who don’t have a console yet. And keep asking – the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Next Generation took a quick survey to see how the Blachekcinck Friday sales went. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the start of the end-of-year shopping season for many Americans. The YouTube video from msmpenguin below shows what Black Friday can be like (for those of you who aren’t Americans or usually spend this day sleeping in). Wonder how many of those people are waiting for a game console?

It wasn’t busy. Next-Generation asked a few East Coast retailers for feedback. It turns out that Thanksgiving was busier for some of them – busier than the launch weekend of the PS3 and Wii, but not necessarily any busier than previous years. An employee of Game Attic in Lakeland, Florida, said they did better than last year but not better than two years ago.

No, it was busy. Over at Play N Trade in Forked River NJ, the testimony was “I wouldn’t say a lot busier, but it seems busier. We were actually busy the day before Thanksgiving, which was a shock.”

People asked for PS3s. The availability of the PS3 and Wii continues to be a big deal, with 8 out of 10 customers asking for them according to a Game Crazy manager in Albany (who also said the PS3 “probably” had more inquiries because “people think that the Wii is more kid-oriented”).

No, people asked for Wiis. It was different over at Video Game Heaven in North Chesapeake VA. The owner said, “I think more people were asking for the Wii because they thought that was more obtainable.” Howard at Fun N Games in Pompton Lake NJ said that “it looks like Wii is bigger right this second” – most customers don’t expect a PS3 to be available at all. At the Play N Trade, it was the same (the store had no PS3s but got six Wiis) – “they knew that they were just wasting their breath to ask for the PS3s.”

Conclusion. The way we see it, there are many reasons why people ask or don’t ask for a console. If they don’t ask, maybe they already have one, or they plan to get one at Wal-Mart or Best Buy or something, or they’ve just run out of hope. If they do ask, that’s a sign that demand is high or it means that the delivery and distribution system was mismanaged. In other words, this survey isn’t really that conclusive of anything.

But it’s interesting – too many people forget that the retail industry isn’t just Wal-Mart or GameStop. Finally, hugs for those who don’t have a console yet. And keep asking – the squeaky wheel gets the grease.