Special offers, flash sales, daily deals, bargains at rock-bottom prices – Black Friday is the holiday of consumption. We want to know: Are you a bargain hunter?
When The Division was presented, the developers shared a surprisingly socially critical note: their villain in the story released the virus on “Black Friday.”
The Division with an unusually consumer-critical message
He had infected dollar bills with the “Dollar Flu” – and released them on the International Day of Consumption. On Black Friday, most dollar bills change hands. The criminal scientist wanted not only to kill as many people as possible to “thin the herd,” but also to emit the political statement: Consumption is somehow stupid.
[pullquote]Hardly a difference between a sale and a looting.
Such a consumer-critical message was intended by the developers: There is hardly any difference between a sale and a looting, they said back then.
The message in “The Division” did not prevent Massive and Ubisoft for a second from striking a deal with Microsoft. Fans on PlayStation must therefore wait a month longer for DLCs than PC or Xbox One players. But back to Black Friday.
The bridge day between Thanksgiving and the weekend is traditionally used by many families in the USA for shopping. Companies have long known this and chase after consumer attention with bargains.
Bargains upon bargains all year round
Black Friday may be the peak of the bargain hunt, but in our everyday life, this is constantly present. Weekly, flyers flutter into millions of households with “-33% for muesli,” “40% off soft drinks,” and “Three for the price of two” for DVDs.
Mail order companies like Amazon entice with flash deals that are only active for a few hours and are quickly out of stock with particularly attractive catches.
Wait for the Goty edition? Strike at Humble Bundle? Or cash in the pre-order bonus?
With games, there is constantly the opportunity to buy at a discount thanks to Humble Bundle and sales on Steam – even if some games end up on the “Pile of Shame” – where games stack up that one has purchased but never played.
Some do not buy a title at full price anymore, but wait half a year until something happens: Those who wait long enough grab the “Game of the Year Edition” with all DLCs for half price.
At least some are determined to do just that. But then they still give in at the last second when all their friends are already playing the new hit – and they still have to wait. Or they succumb to a “pre-order bonus,” which software companies are now throwing around more generously.
I confess: I am a bargain hunter
Shoe man says: I confess, I am also a bargain hunter. Especially with a larger purchase, like a monitor or television, I can lurk around a product for months, waiting for the right moment until I then strike. For the 144hz, 27 inch monitor with G-Sync from Acer I wanted to spend a maximum of 500€ – and that is what I paid after months of searching – well, it was B-grade from eBay, but still significantly under the limit.
I surely inherited that from my father, who checked car ads online for about two years until exactly that model was available at the right price. And until then, he watched cars for half an hour every day, moved them to a virtual parking lot and had evident joy in doing so – after all, one has to pass the day somehow.
But I don’t always chase bargains – I had long waited for a new PC and looked forward to it. When a certain goal was achieved, I wanted to treat myself – and that’s exactly what I did – bargain or not. When I urgently needed a tablet within a few days, I didn’t want to wait for a bargain.
I confess: I am often tempted to impulsive purchases by special offers for smaller things – one ends up buying something that one does not want at all, which is not always very clever. Four bars of chocolate because it’s so cheap may please the wallet – but not the scale.
How about you with consumption? And the bargain hunt? Do you wait for the right offer, strike when you find it, do you have it under control? Let us know in the comments.
Where our editors would strike during the Steam Sale, they reveal to you here:
Steam Autumn Sale 2016: Steam Awards and Staff Recommendations
