Shoppers Arrive Extra Early To Secure PS5s On Black Friday

SANDY, Utah — Shoppers eager to get their hands on a PS5 console for Black Friday didn’t just have to get an early start on Thanksgiving.

Outside a GameStop location near 11400 South and State Street in Sandy, the first-in-line arrived just after 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

“I was informed that they were only going to have two at least per location, so I just had to get here as soon as I could,” said Oscar Pena.

Pena said he had previously tried a location in South Jordan on Wednesday, where the first-in-line had already arrived before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.

This time, he brought a tent, sleeping bag, blankets and plenty to occupy him until 7 a.m. Friday.

Blaine Smith said he saw Pena in position the day before Thanksgiving and decided he wasn’t going anywhere, since he also wanted to secure a PS5.

An orange sign on the door said to expect only two PlayStation 5s at that location, along with 8 Xbox Series X consoles.

“(I) called my buddy, ‘Hey, can you bring me some stuff?’” he chuckled.

Similar lines were spotted at other GameStop locations in Salt Lake County and Utah County, as next-gen console hunters scrambled to get their hands on the hottest electronics of the season.

Since the PS5’s launch in early November, scalpers have been selling the scarce consoles for upward of twice their value.

“With all the craziness of COVID, everybody’s locked down in their homes,” Smith said. “Everybody wants a system and they’re going to be hard to get for a while, I’m sure.”

Josh Bryant said he wanted to find a PS5, but with friends already Xbox Series X he planned to settle.

Though temperatures were expected to dip down to around 20 degrees Thursday night into Friday morning, he said he was enjoying the experience of waiting.

“It’s good being with people that also enjoy something you enjoy,” Bryant said. “It’s a good community—good people.”