The GameStop in the Mall in Columbia opened at 6 a.m. sharp on Black Friday. By 6:01 a.m., all 18 of the store?s Nintendo Wii video game systems were spoken for by shoppers who had been waiting in line since as early as 4:30 a.m.
On one of the busiest shopping days of the year, it seemed everyone still wanted the $250 Nintendo console nearly a year after its release. Nintendo sold more than 5.5 million units in the United States in the past year.
“The Wii is this year?s pick, and that means people will wait in line for it,” said Karen Geary, senior general manager of the Mall in Columbia, standing a few feet from the line outside GameStop about a half hour before the store opened.
There were lines of people at GameStops, Best Buys, Wal-Marts and toy stores throughout the area, and they were all hoping to get their hands on a coveted Wii.
“A limited quantity drives the perception that people need to get it,” said Gene Condon, general manager of Arundel Mills. “Electronics and video games are always in high demand.”
The thought of capturing a free Wii even brought hundreds of people to the Mall in Columbia well before dawn on Friday. The mall gave away 500 gift bags, with one chance in the 500 bags to win a free Wii.
Frances Archer, of Columbia, was fourth in line at the GameStop at the Mall in Columbia. But she wasn?t there for a Wii – she wanted an Xbox 360.
Why didn?t she want the Nintendo system? Because she waited in line and got one last year.
“It all depends what you?re doing it for,” Archer said. “People will wait for something they really want.”
