Missed Black Friday? Try Cyber Monday
IF YOU missed out on Black Friday, try Cyber Monday, a marketing term for the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.
It was created by companies to persuade people to shop online.
The term was coined by Ellen Davis, the senior vice-president of the National Retail Federation, in 2005, in a press release entitled “Cyber Monday quickly becoming one of the biggest online shopping days of the year”.
Now that South Africa has taken to the global trend, the country has also jumped on the Cyber Monday bandwagon, just days after websites crashed due to Black Friday’s slashed prices.
Some of the shops participating include Incredible Connection, Makro and Takealot. com, which continue their blue dot sale until tomorrow.
Other shops will release sale promotions later today.
Be warned though, these sales are only online.
South Africans are eagerly waiting for the sales to break. On Twitter, @ GerardZA tweeted: “So #BlackFriday has finally taken off in South Africa, now for #CyberMonday.
@gabbyfied tweeted: “Dear South Africa – you forgot to copy Cyber Monday as I see you’re now celebrating Thanksgiving and having Black Friday.”
Shopping malls on Friday were packed to capacity with thousands of people, some pushing their way inside stores and even using trolleys as battering rams.
General manager for the Pavilion, Nisha Kemraj, said Black Friday had proved to be an extremely good day with great support from customers.
“The mall was busy with well over 50 000 shoppers recorded and more than 9 000 cars entering the parking areas,” she said.
At uMlazi Mega City, general manager Feysel Potgieter said they had to get additional security to ensure the safety of shoppers.
He said their foot count increased, but figures would only be released tomorrow.