Retailers welcome ‘Black Friday’

Retailers at the Grove Mall in Windhoek have expressed delight in the recently concluded Black Friday sale bonanza which ran on Friday last week.

The initiative offered attractive discounts to customers on selected items across the mall.

Namibian Sun this week approached a few of the retailers at the centre to find out what they thought of Black Friday and whether they were willing to repeat the campaign next year.

Ellis Kavandara, who manages the Crazy Store at the Grove Mall, says his store made record sales last week Friday. According to him, even though there were only discounts on selected items, his store recorded the highest sales for the year.

“It went well. In terms of sales, we came out tops out of all our stores. This Friday was also one of the highest sales recorded for the year. We will do it every day if we could,” Kavandara said.

Tekkie Town employee Johanna Benyamen was equally happy following the conclusion of Black Friday. She says although Tekkie Town did not offer any discounts like other retailers in the mall, sales were still good.

“Well it was one of the craziest days. We made a lot of sales. I wish we could have a Black Friday more often. We made a lot of money, we did not offer any discounts but we still made a lot of money,” Benyamen said.

Because of Black Friday, Side Step which also sells shoes like Tekkie Town surpassed its target by three days, according to its store manager, Beauty Nanuses.

While she welcomed the revenue generated on the day, it was not without the chaos.

“It was a lot of chaos, we did not expect such a lot of people,” she said. Despite the chaos and overwhelming amount of people who were keen to take advantage of the attractive prices on offer, she said there were no incidences of theft experienced on the day.

“There was no theft at all. Security was well organised and we made a lot of money,” Nanuses said.

Game store manager Frieda Nau-Gawases said the experience was overwhelming. Game had opened its doors at midnight and operated for an entire 24 hours, according to her.

“We are blessed that people chose to come out at midnight, we were equally blessed with good sales.”

According to her, the over-excited customers were also well-behaved. She was quick to point out that there were no injuries reported and that a widely circulated video of a Game store in which customers can be seen storming into was not the Grove Mall store.

“There were no injuries; there was no pick-pocketing. We would like to do it again even if we struggled to keep up the pace,” she said.

With the consumer in mind, economists however are divided about Black Friday. Local economist Claudia Boamah said Black Friday encourages impulsive spending.

“I think it results in impulsive shopping. The sales as I have witnessed, are on selected items. People end up making unplanned purchases under the illusion that they are getting a bargain,” she said.

The timing of Black Friday was also not opportune owing to the current economic condition.

“Under the current economic conditions, with households under so much strain I think things like Black Friday deter people from spending within their means,” she added.

For one economist, it would be difficult to measure to what extent, good or bad, Black Friday, would yield.

“It is a tough one to answer off the cuff…at the end of the day however it is a one-day event. I do not think it will make much of a difference,” IJG researcher Eric van Zyl said.

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