In past years I’ve written about working in retail during the holiday season, from the perspective of both an employee at big box retailers as well as one in a one-off game store. Honestly, I always want to write more about retail, but never seem to make time for it. Now, however, is as good a time as any to share that it’s still September and we, as a small single store, are already planning ahead for that day.
Now, this isn’t abnormal for any business to do, but normally those on the lower end of things don’t deal with this until the weeks leading up to the event — September and October, beyond some holiday decorations beginning to be sold at big box stores, are usually left to be what they are — the beginning of Fall and the Halloween seasons, and it traditionally was the same for us (minus the decorations or anything seasonal, lol) with all our planning and work happening seemingly last minute for both this and Free Video Game Day.
Last year, in fact, we did Black Friday much the same way as Free Video Game Day — the same 100 bags with a free game and other goodies in them, and ran the normal sales you’d expect. This year we’re not going for the free game aspect — it seems people weren’t as interested in those as years prior — and instead will focus on the in store discounts and the goodies, snacks, what have you — basically the same thing as before, just without the free games. We will have contests for some free consoles, so there’s that.
In any case, since I do graphic work for the shop I had to break out the old templates and begin work on everything. First was a test flyer, based on last years but with new fonts and images, but still using our old format. We will have to change it a bit since we won’t be having the free games, but it can then focus to the console contest and the sales. I need to actually get around to finishing that re-edit, but we have time.
Then will come coupons — each year I take images from a couple of games and use them as backgrounds for the coupons — for Black Friday I usually pick Winter themed game images (last year, for example, I used Sonic 3’s Ice Cap Zone) and this year will be no different – I’m thinking the snow level from Mario 2, maybe? Who knows.
I think that will be about everything — I’ll probably re-use some of FVGD’s graphics for some other things, like the contest coupons for the console giveaways, shirts, what have you.
Of course, it’s up to the guy in charge to decide just what we actually do but given this will be the 4th event following the “Free Video Game Day” format we set up early 2018, I’d say we have things down. People seem to have fun, they enjoy the sales, and we make good money.
It isn’t all about the profit, of course — it’s as much about the fun and giving people good games for a good price, but you know, the increased business is never a bad thing.
I’ll let people know how it goes come late November, I guess. Sorry I can’t provide images here as examples, but the reason should be obvious.
More to come, as always.