For those who are not familiar with the event, Black Friday falls on the day after Thanksgiving in the US, which this year is Friday 27th November. That day will see many retailers putting on some very special sales to kick off the Christmas shopping season. The aim is to encourage people to start their spending spree, and it is certainly a strategy which has worked. Black Friday is very much of US origin, but it is becoming a larger and larger concept overseas, particularly in the UK where is has exploded into the spotlight in recent years. And the fun and games go on all weekend, running into Cyber Monday when online shopping takes centre stage.
But what does this mean for Restaurant Story? Well, if you haven't been around at Thanksgiving time previously, you're in for a treat! Every year Storm8 gets involved in the Black Friday shenanigans by offering up some very enticing deals, and you can fully expect that to happen again in 2015.
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| Black Friday 2014 teaser |
Of course some caution is necessary - there is no guarantee that the game's developers will repeat their efforts of previous years, but the odds are certainly stacked in favour of something special.
Typically you will find that the best deals are to be had on the Friday. Some of the special offers may return over the weekend, but the price tags tend to increase, so don't say you weren't warned!
The most significant thing to look out for is a big sale on gem purchases. Around the year most players receive 20% or 30% off deals, but every Black Friday there is a 40% off special provided for everyone.
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| Limited time 40% off gems offer |
So if you have any plans to buy gems, it's definitely worth waiting until 27th November to pull the trigger. This feature will probably only be available on the Friday, but it could make an appearance on the following Monday too.
But what's the point of buying gems? Because there's lots of gem goodies to get! Annually a range of items comprising mainly of floor decorations are re-released for a limited time, and generally at cut-down prices. Usually the stuff included are a mixture of old LTOs, high placed box prizes and previously removed items, typically for gems (although one or two coin buys are common).
Of course the beauty of the décor included is in the eye of the beholder, but in the main the reaction to the Black Friday offerings is of delight and excitement. Many of the marquee items I own have been captured on a Black Friday - the likes of the Bowling Alley and Swedish Kitchen are among the most coveted pieces in my army, and were bagged on the big day.
However, caution should be urged! You only need to go back to last year's Black Friday fiasco to see that the sale is not all rainbows and butterflies. On that occasion the special stuff was skewed towards the Christmas theme and didn't include any box prizes. This contributed to unprecedented levels of acrimony on the Storm8 Forum, and surprise surprise the gamemakers redeemed themselves with a major sale over Christmas that catered to the desires of the players much more positively. But this should serve as a warning - be prepared for a disappointment, it could happen!
The last significant possibility on Black Friday worth watching out for is a Thanksgiving sweepstake. In both 2012 and 2013 there was a sweepstake which gave the chance to win gems.
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| Thanksgiving Sweepstakes in 2013 |
In 2012 we were required to cook as many batches of Waffles as possible, with each one acting as a ticket in a 1,000 gem raffle. And in 2013 it was every dollar spent on purchasing gems that was converted into a magic ticket for a 250 gem draw.
Clearly the first of these would be the more enjoyable sweepstake to see this year, not least because it was open to all players (the 2013 one was restricted to US players over the age of 18). However the lack of any similar event in 2014 means the odds of such a sweepstake taking place this time are probably quite low. We can hope though!
Other than an enthralling sweepstake, what else am I hoping for out of this Black Friday? Unusually I'm actually quite relaxed about the possibilities. The only theme I'm particularly hoping to be featured is gardening. I'm having early ideas regarding a gardening layout for my outdoor section in the Spring, and the likes of the Tulip Crate, Rose Crate and Fall Harvest box all have decorations I'd definitely snap up if offered out of the box.
Previous Black Fridays
Other than that I'm happy to go with the flow and be inspired by what pops up on Black Friday. With over 70 gems banked and around 100 gems pending via the 'mastery-minus-one' method, I'm certainly well stocked, even taking into account any spending for Halloween.
What I'm more interested to see is if Storm8 include any of the new features we've seen in the last 12 months. Could a special bundle make an appearance? Or could there be a massive sale on the gem dispenser?
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| Notification for Gem Dispenser |
Heck, will the game's developers use Black Friday as the platform to finally offer either of these features on Android devices?! And what about sales on expansions with gems? Or a discount on an extra appliance slot? There are a lot of colourful options out there, and I'd like to see something along these lines included to spice things up!
So now you're all clued up for the biggest weekend of the Restaurant Story year. If you haven't already been hoarding your gems, I strongly suggest you start! You could be in for a real treat when 27th November rolls around.
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