Not a bad start to Black Friday 2008, though the price doesn't exactly scream bargain to me. I suppose things can only get better from here.

Sears Black Friday Deals [GottaDeal.com - Thanks Servant_Of_Jashin!]

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed today what we first broke earlier this week, Best Buy and six other national retailers will be stocking Wii this weekend. And by stocking I mean they will be advertising the console in their weekly circulars (except Wal-Mart) and then throwing the consoles up on the shelves come the weekend and then running away.

Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, Kmart, Toys R Us and Circuit City are all stocking the Wii this weekend for those still on the hunt. We had several tips after our rumor story ran about the stock issue.

According to Best Buy tipsters it sounds like all stores will have at least 21 of the consoles with some carrying as many as 100. I've also heard that Best Buy is expecting a second shipment next week which is supposed to go straight to shelves. Most stores will get them sometimes before noon. The bad news is that rumor has it that that will be the last pre-Christmas shipment for Best Buy, though they expect more in early January.

Target, another tipster tells me, has a big stockpile as well, some stores have more than 100. So this weekend sounds like your best chance to pick up a Wii, unless you don't mind buying a raincheck.

From his post on NeoGAF:

My friend and i went to a local Sears this morning in hopes to buy a ps3. though the Sears turned out to only have 2 in stock. but for some reason they were telling us that the Wii was on sale. it was weird, so they had 6 Wiis in stock, my friend and i of course bought one! along w/ 4 other ppl that was there w/ us.

What a lucky break. This certainly wasn't going on at the Sears I visited today.

And, no, this doesn't mean you can storm your local shop and demand that they sell you one, just because a couple systems slipped under the radar, sadly. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Michael McWhertor

I Got a Wii on the Ps3 Launch date!!!! [NeoGAF]

How is this possible, you ask? Well my little Kotakuites, gather around and I will tell you a story of days gone by. Long ago, in the era of department stores, Sears ruled the school. They were so prominent that they were able to get companies to produce products for them that they would then turn around and slap their own name on. They did this with many products including the Atari 2600, some of its games and even the Intellivision. Eventually, they decided to stop ripping off the little guys and just sell things with their regular names. Everyone lived happily ever after, The End. Flynn De Marco

In this Apple-thieving Sears commercial, wee Conner tells us how much he digs like, Need for Speed, and also like, Halo and Halo 2. The latter are, of course, M-rated.

The tipper who wrote in about this was incensed that Conner could buy games that "no one else would sell him", and natters worriedly about the Jackass Army "licking their chops" at this blatant "corporate irresponsibility".

Is this what we've bred? The assumption that Conner's parents could not possibly have purchased these games, and the Xbox, for him? That he has the money to acquire these things far from their protective gaze?

I call bullshit. Halo is no worse that what you see on the History Channel, and this paranoia is getting on my nerves. If you're worried about your kids seeing things you don't want them to see, which they always have and always will, equip them with the right tools to deal with it.

It is not the responsibility of Sears or even the ESRB to determine what's right for your kid. They can offer some help as guides, sure, but ultimately it's up to you. And even then, you only have so much control. Eliza Gauger

Sears made a little snafu over the weekend. They printed an ad offering the 360 hard drive for $14.99. And that means you should print out the above ad, walk into your local Sears and try to hold them to it.

Caveat: in all probability, you're not going to be able to get an Xbox 360 hard drive for $15 at your local Sears. But even if you can't, you might be able to get Best Buy or Wal-Mart or any other major store that does price matches to sell you one. Spoofee commenters are reporting success with the latter approach.

Either way, it's a good enough deal that it's worth a shot. Let us know if anyone has any success. Florian Eckhardt

Sears Weekly Ad — $15 360 Hard Drive [Sears]