What makes a Black Friday deal legitimately great?
What makes a Black Friday deal great?
The (waiting in line) game has changed
Photo by Derek Davis/Getty
Chris Plante co-founded Polygon in 2012 and is now editor-in-chief. He co-hosts The Besties, is a board member of the Frida Cinema, and created NYU’s first games journalism course.
Decades ago, Black Friday deals were flashy. Local stores wanted their store to be customers’ first stop in the holiday season, hoping guests would spend the bulk of their holiday gifting budget. Shops competed with one another by promoting absurd deals, like free microwaves and $50 TVs, for the first 1,000 people in the door. A Black Friday deal could save you hundreds of dollars — if you were willing to wait all night outside Walmart.
But today, Black Friday works differently. People can open their web browser and hunt for deals whenever they want, and they’re unlikely to spend most of their budget in any single spot. The days of every shop having some ridiculous giveaway are gone.
The general deals remain though. Which gets to my question. In 2024, what constitutes a great deal for you? Is it a 50% discount on PC hardware? Buy one, get one free video games? A free streaming subscription trial?
So, Polygon readers: As a prepare for our Black Friday coverage, it would be great to know what y’all prefer!
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