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If you are single-minded about Christmas technology, Black Friday 2021 is not worth the wait
Looking around, Black Friday 2021 has already begun. Yes, we are already talking about the Black Friday sale on PC Gamer, and we are not alone-you may not have noticed that everyone from other media to large retailers is talking about the early sale, whether they “re-label” Black Friday or not.
This is because if you want the best technology before Christmas this year, it may be worthwhile to enter early and click the buy button as soon as possible.
Now, I know what you are thinking; of course, what I want to say is that I want to attract attention on PC Gamer’s trading page. Although this is true, we have been reporting chip shortages and supply chain crises for almost the whole year, and we will not suddenly get better because Santa Claus wakes up.
Sorry, kids, Santa Claus is also working hard to distribute-all your technical gifts are packed in containers instead of the back of the airborne sleigh now.
In the past-a long time ago-you used to be able to wait for the big deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and I believe retailers will save the biggest discounts for major events. You can also be confident that there is still a month to go before Christmas, and you can guarantee that almost any product you order can be easily shipped before December 25.
However, as containers are piled up in piers around the world, and ships are turned away for various reasons, these can no longer be guaranteed.
Chances are, if you are waiting for the big deal on Black Friday itself, then you may have to run the risk of not actually seeing the leather or hair you buy until after the New Year. Only then will there be stocks.
For PC gamers, the most obvious result of chip shortages and supply chain crises is the lack of inventory on electronic shelves for some of the most important components of our equipment. The graphics card is the most obvious example-if you want to know exactly why you still can’t buy a new GPU, we have been talking to experts-but everything has been affected more or less.
Compared with the almighty “deal”, I think “availability” will become a more important slogan around Black Friday this year. Whether you can actually buy something at a reasonable price is more important than how much discount you can get.
Recently, we had a conversation with Professor Thomas Goldsby, a professor of logistics at the University of Tennessee Supply Chain Management online course and a certified supply chain expert. His view is that we need to be more flexible this year.
“You know, if no one says,’Start your Christmas shopping now, you can’t open the news because the shelves will be empty.'” The fact is that the shelves will not be empty,” said Professor Gosby. “It’s just you What you may be looking for may not be in stock. If you are looking for precise products, you can’t be so picky.
“If you are looking for a specific item in a specific location, you may be challenged. You may have to choose a different item, choose a different location, you may have to go to the secondary market, and so we just need to be prepared for some substitutions and Stay flexible.”
I admit that this may sound full of bad luck, like a kind of “buy, buy, buy! You must buy now! It’s a bit of a capitalist rant, but if something strikes you this year-whether it’s for your own technical satisfaction or Gifts for loved ones-then the advice is to shop early and be prepared to respond flexibly.
“The theme of this upcoming holiday,” Professor Goldsby said, “will be flexibility and substitution. This is not something that we have become very open as consumers. I call today’s consumers the devil.
“You know, we all became little monsters.”
But this is only done if you are after something specific and cannot face the disappointment of not getting what we want or not getting it in time.
If you, like many of us, are just looking for some tempting random bargaining to entice you to open your wallet, Black Friday may still have enough capitalist juice to satisfy the retail therapy itch of casual consumers.
Please note that you cannot always get what you want when you need it. Especially this year.