In a highly unscientific investigation, I stopped by my local Sony Style store yesterday to ask the customer reps about Black Friday sales. The rep I talked to initially suspected I was a mall employee, but once we got that case of mistaken identity out of the way, he was very willing to share details on the day’s activities.
First, my new friend assured me that traffic had been brisk, and indeed it was during my visit. More interesting though was his record of the top-selling products. Here’s his account of what was flying off the shelves:
- TVs – The most popular sizes were in the 32″ and 52″ ranges. Hmm. Think the 32-inchers were first-time HD buyers, or folks outfitting second and third rooms?
- Blu-ray Disc players – At a $100 discount, it’s not surprising the Blu-ray players were top sellers. Ticket price: a sweet $199.99.
- Playstation 3 – My friend claimed the PS3 consoles were going fast. No doubt because of the new Netflix Watch Now functionality, right?
- Cyber-shot T700 – I have to admit this is a pretty one, with 4GB of memory, a 3.5″ touch screen, and lots of other goodies. It comes in a range of colors too. Not surprising it’s a popular gift.
Obvious disclaimer: this was one Sony employee’s take on Black Friday sales. Take that as you will.
Any of these products on your holiday shopping list?
So glad you mentioned the Sony store. Here in Ireland I’ve run across two (Sony Centre) and one was selling Bose stuff along side Sony stuff and I noticed a Logitech Harmony remote in the other. I don’t recall seeing that in the US. Then again, it’s been awhile since I’ve been in a Sony store. I also saw some VERY nice looking Sony digital picture frames (that I don’t recall having seen before)… BUT they plastered the Sony name prominently, front and center. Bad move – is this a Sony advertisement or my family photos?
I haven’t seen any Bose or Logitech stuff in the Sony store here, but I also wasn’t hanging out in the home theater enclosure (crowded), so it’s possible. Don’t think so, though.
The T700 was really slick looking. It got a decent review from CNET and moderate user reviews. Suppose if you’re going to pay that much, you might as well go SLR? Except the small credit card size is really nice.
Been to Sony store in Houston and don’t recall seeing any “foreign” brands displayed (or not prominently enough to notice).
I must say though, that Sony store did big disservice by putting awful quality feed on most TVs. If I didn’t know any better, I’d avoid all those TVs. The best PQ was huge XSRD playing Aeon Flux on Blu-Ray. But that was awhile back, so hopefully now they use some reference-quality Blu-Rays for everything.