There’s little a gamer likes more than to be able to pick up a shiny new console, graphics card or the latest release for a reduced price – it’s the next best thing to free.

Locally gamers with beady eyes can consistently take advantage of a highly competitive industry year round. South African gaming retailers are consistently battling it out to offer the best deals with regards to consoles and individual games.

Despite this there is a tradition which we are (frankly) missing out on – Black Friday.

Each year, in November the Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. After a day of reflection and general family time millions of people flock to retail outlets around the country to take advantage of (ridiculous) specials on electronic goods. No one can really explain why, but nonetheless stores across the USA open their doors as early as 5am to accommodate the rush.

When I refer to (ridiculous) specials I am actually understating the truth. Last week happy shoppers could pick up a PS3 Slim with Batman: The Dark Night Blu Ray and a copy of Batman: Arkham Asylum for $299 (that’s about R2400 with sales tax), an Xbox 360 Elite with 6 games for $299 (R2400), a Sony 50 inch HDTV and a PS3 Slim for $1499 (R12 000), a 40 inch Samsung HDTV for $598 (R4600) as well as half price Xbox Live and PSN games.

For a sale which no one can really explain it seems mighty popular doesn’t it? Naturally the companies peddling their wares at such ludicrous price points benefit from such a scheme. Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft reported their biggest sales figures in months last week.

For example: Sony sold roughly 500,000 PS3 units globally in the week following the Slim’s release, no mean feat for a console which has averaged at roughly 150 000 weekly in 2009. On Black Friday Sony sold 440,000 units in the US alone.

So why don’t we have a Black Friday of our own? I suppose it’s because we don’t celebrate a definitive date upon which our country was founded (this happens to be the 31st of May 1961). Maybe it’s because we don’t share our economy of scale with the United States (being some 250 million people smaller) or perhaps it can be attributed to the fact that we’re bigger fans of braais than turkeys?

Regardless, I am making a humble appeal to the men in grey suits, sitting in their towering office blocks to consider adding me to the Black Friday list in November 2010. I think it’s only fair that I am not discriminated against for buying consumer electronics in the wrong country. Thank