Black Friday shoppers cautious and prudent
NONKULULEKO Dlamini, 35, has been a regular Black Friday shopper since the hype began in South Africa five years ago.
On Friday she joined the millions of bargain-hungry shoppers searching for discounts across the country’s 2 000 shopping malls, but said she had mixed feelings towards Black Friday.
Speaking at the Totalsports in Eastgate Mall, east of Johannesburg, she said she believed Black Friday was merely a marketing tool for retailers.
Dlamini, who bought branded takkies for her sons, said she bought the items only because they were significantly marked down, adding that apparel or clothing retailers offered massive discounts, while she believed that food retailers were lagging.
“I will mention only Totalsports because some shops especially the food retailers are playing with people. I was at Pick n Pay yesterday (Thursday) and I found there’s no Black Friday, it is just a normal sale.
“As for food, there was no discount. They will tell you that the cooldrinks are R16 a bottle, but that is the normal price of the cooldrinks,” said Dlamini.
PWC in its report earlier this month said that consumers planned on spending 36% more this year compared with 2018 and an average of R3 812 during Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2019.
The PWC report found that some 85% of those surveyed said they intended to buy something, or would consider buying, should there be good enough deals.
“Six out of 10 consumers that are planning to spend the same or more than last year are trying to take advantage of the savings on offer, while 43% are hoping that more retailers will have deals this year.
“The intention to save on Christmas spending by bringing forward this expenditure to November is another important motivator,” said the report.
Another shopper, who spoke on condition of anonymity at the Eastgate Mall, said she had spent around R3 200 on a discounted microwave and 40-inch TV set from Hifi Corp.
“I am happy with my shopping and Black Friday has met my expectations. Since February I put a little money away every month. I budgeted R3 500 for this Black Friday, and I spent R3 200 on both the microwave and TV set,” said the shopper.
Shoppers filled their shopping trolleys with mainly two-ply toilet paper, cooldrinks, breakfast cereals and milk, while big-ticket items including microwaves and television sets were also popular among shoppers.
Shoppers also showed restraint amid the tough economic environment, saying that they had to ensure that their money stretched further than Black Friday.
Roy Jali, a first-time Black Friday shopper, said there were no real discounts. “The prices were just the same. It was not special. No, I just saved on the microwave. I bought toilet paper and breakfast cereals which are the normal things that I buy. If the toilet paper was cheaper, I could have bought more,” said Jali.
At Eastgate Mall there were long queues at retailers, including Game, and unlike previous Black Fridays, there was no pandemonium as shops opened early.