Where the Hell Were YOU? - Black Friday Edition
by marino
It's Black Friday week! Are you excited? No? Kinda jaded about the whole deal? Yeah, me too. I've worked retail for five of those insane days, mostly for Software Etc./Babbage's/GameStop, but also one year (2005) for Best Buy where I came into work at 2 AM and left at 3 PM. The manager told us that year that each parking space was worth roughly $1000 per hour, then requested that we all park across the street in Target's parking lot. Every year there's some crazy-ass deals and limited edition stuff that forces people journey into the cold darkness to stand in lines for hours. I've done it myself a few times for some particular gaming related items, but never big stuff like TV's or computers.
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GBA SP - Gold The first time I remember standing in line was in 2003 at the local Toys R Us, which has since been closed. It was actually raining that morning as well, but I was there for when the doors opened at 6 AM. Why? For a limited edition gold Game Boy Advance SP. Why would I do this when I already owned a red one? Because I'm whore for special edition stuff I guess. The gold GBA SP also came with a copy of Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, so I can somehow use that $30 "saved" as justification for buying the SP, right? Right?! Anyway, the actual experience in the Toys R Us was pretty weird. Apparently I was the only person going there for just one thing. So after I raced to the games section and picked up the box, there was literally no one waiting to get checked out. I looked at the eight or so cashiers, turned around and went to the Lord of the Rings action figures and grabbed a few, and THEN checked out.
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GBA SP - Pearl In 2004, I fell into the same exact trap, just in a different location. I picked up a "pearl white" GBA SP at the local Circuit City, which as since been closed. Are we seeing a trend here? I helped justify the purchase once again with a game that was included with the limited edition SP. This time it was Metroid Fusion. The experience wasn't as smooth as Toys R Us though, because Circuit City didn't actually put these out on the shelves. You had to stand in line to check out with nothing in your possession, then tell them what you wanted to have them go get it. And of course there was a problem with the receipt machine. And then the person at the register had no idea what I was talking about, even though the guys in the game section did. I ended up being five minutes late for my shift at GameStop, using the old "traffic" excuse to difuse the heat from my manager.
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Nintendo DS Lite - Limited Edition Triforce Gold I don't think I participated in 2005 since I had just dropped $400 on an Xbox 360. I skipped 2006 as well since I had just started a new job and was pretty broke after being unemployed for several months. But, in 2007, I braved the dark, cold morning with the masses once again. This time it was at Sears. Why? Do you really have to ask? It was for a limited edition "Triforce Gold" DS Lite of course. It came with Phantom Hourglass, but I already had the game, so I can't even try to justify it with that like the other two. I traded that for a little store credit, but I won't argue that I've got problems. After I grabbed the box, I spent a few minutes looking around their small games area and spotted Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix for $15 and grabbed that as well. Is that game pretty rare? It seems like it, along with the dance mat, would be.
In 2008 and 2009, I think I picked up a few games on Amazon's deals. Nothing special. Just stuff for the collection that was undeniably cheap. I've come to the conclusion that this is the method to correctly go about this Black Friday madness. Don't get trampled. Don't wake up at 2 AM after eating six pounds of cranberry sauce the day before. Just follow AmazonGames and CheapAssGamer on twitter, and veg out on the couch in your footy pajamas and have some cheap games sent to you.
So, I ask... Where the hell were YOU during Black Fridays of the past?
Black Friday 2010
If you're not a visitor of CheapAssGamer.com, then you probably should be. Whether you're a fan of CheapyD and hte CAGcast or not, there's really no better place for keeping track of game deals than CAG. You really don't even have to go to the site. Make it easy for yourself and just follow @videogamedeals or @ukgamedeals on Twitter. You can even send a message to either one with the name of the game and on what system you want it, and within 30 seconds, it will tell where you can find it cheapest, the price, and a link for other locations and prices. Anyway, here's some console/system highlights I picked out from this year's known deals. For a full list of deals, check out http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=274829
**** Please check the official ads before going to a store based on the info below. ****
PlayStation 3 Deals
| HDD | Includes | Price | Store |
|---|
| 160 GB | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, LittleBigPlanet GOTY, Tron: Evolution, Karate Kid Blu-ray | $299.99 | Dell.com |
| 160 GB | LittleBigPlanet GOTY, Mod Nation Racers, Cars Blu-ray | $299.99 | Best Buy |
| 160 GB | God of War III, God of War Collection | $299.99 | GameStop |
| 160 GB | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Karate Kid Blu-ray, PixelJunk Shooter, $25 Gift Card | $299.99 | Kmart |
| 160 GB | Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, Prince of Persia Blu-ray | $299.99 | Target |
| 160 GB | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Medal of Honor | $299.99 | Walmart |
Xbox 360 Deals
| HDD | Includees | Price | Store |
|---|
| 4 GB | LEGO Batman, LEGO Indiana Jones, LEGO Star Wars Complete Saga | $199.99 | Best Buy |
| 4 GB | Madden NFL 11 --OR-- Medal of Honor | $199.99 | GameStop |
| 4 GB | Call of Duty: Black Ops | $199.99 | Kmart |
| 4 GB | Halo Reach | $199.99 | Sears |
| 4 GB | Modern Warfare 2, Mass Effect 2 | $199.99 | Walmart |
| 250 GB | Red Dead Redemption, Forza 3, Alan Wake | $349.99 | Sam's Club |
Wii Deals
| Color | Includes | Price | Store |
|---|
| Black | Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, Just Dance | $199.99 | GameStop |
| Black | Extra Wii Remote, 2 Wii Wheels, Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, Mario Kart Wii, 25th Anniversary Mario Bag | $299.99 | Sam's Club |
| Black | Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, Motion Plus | $189.99 | Sears |
| Red | Extra Wii Remote (Black), Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Disney Epic Mickey | $249.99 | Walmart.com |
Nintendo DSi Deals
| Color | Includes | Price | Store |
|---|
| Green or Red | Mario Party | $149.99 | Best Buy |
| Green or Red | Mario Party, $25 Gift Card | $149.99 | Kmart |
| Green or Red | Mario Party, Fossil Fighters --OR-- Legendary Starfy | $149.99 | GameStop |
PSP Deals
| Model | Includes | Price | Store |
|---|
| PSP 3000 | LittleBigPlanet, Karate Kid UMD, 1GB MemoryStick, $15 Gift Card | $129.99 | Kmart, RadioShack, Target |
Rock Band Deals
| Deal | Price | Store |
|---|
| Rock Band 3 w/Wireless Fender Mustang Pro Guitar | $149.99 | Dell.com |
| The Beatles: Rock Band Bundle | $99.99 | GameStop |
| The Beatles: Rock Band | $14.99 | GameStop, Kmart |
| Rock Band 2 | $9.99 | Kmart |
GBA SP - Gold The first time I remember standing in line was in 2003 at the local Toys R Us, which has since been closed. It was actually raining that morning as well, but I was there for when the doors opened at 6 AM. Why? For a limited edition gold Game Boy Advance SP. Why would I do this when I already owned a red one? Because I'm whore for special edition stuff I guess. The gold GBA SP also came with a copy of Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, so I can somehow use that $30 "saved" as justification for buying the SP, right? Right?! Anyway, the actual experience in the Toys R Us was pretty weird. Apparently I was the only person going there for just one thing. So after I raced to the games section and picked up the box, there was literally no one waiting to get checked out. I looked at the eight or so cashiers, turned around and went to the Lord of the Rings action figures and grabbed a few, and THEN checked out.
GBA SP - Pearl In 2004, I fell into the same exact trap, just in a different location. I picked up a "pearl white" GBA SP at the local Circuit City, which as since been closed. Are we seeing a trend here? I helped justify the purchase once again with a game that was included with the limited edition SP. This time it was Metroid Fusion. The experience wasn't as smooth as Toys R Us though, because Circuit City didn't actually put these out on the shelves. You had to stand in line to check out with nothing in your possession, then tell them what you wanted to have them go get it. And of course there was a problem with the receipt machine. And then the person at the register had no idea what I was talking about, even though the guys in the game section did. I ended up being five minutes late for my shift at GameStop, using the old "traffic" excuse to difuse the heat from my manager.
Nintendo DS Lite - Limited Edition Triforce Gold I don't think I participated in 2005 since I had just dropped $400 on an Xbox 360. I skipped 2006 as well since I had just started a new job and was pretty broke after being unemployed for several months. But, in 2007, I braved the dark, cold morning with the masses once again. This time it was at Sears. Why? Do you really have to ask? It was for a limited edition "Triforce Gold" DS Lite of course. It came with Phantom Hourglass, but I already had the game, so I can't even try to justify it with that like the other two. I traded that for a little store credit, but I won't argue that I've got problems. After I grabbed the box, I spent a few minutes looking around their small games area and spotted Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix for $15 and grabbed that as well. Is that game pretty rare? It seems like it, along with the dance mat, would be.