Teams ready for Black Friday injuries

Emergency medical rescue services yesterday warned shoppers to be patient and beware of possible stampedes at Black Friday sales.

Black Friday is the informal name for the day after Thanksgiving in the US. It’s regarded as the start of the Christmas shopping season and has become a global phenomenon.

So, on November 23, there are shopping frenzies in many coun- tries across the globe now and South Africa is no exception.

Garrith Jamieson, spokesperson for Rescue Care, said they had noted the increased fanfare surrounding Black Friday shopping specials and would beef up paramedic numbers for any incidents at shopping centres today.

“Given that local shopping centres will likely be flooded with people seeking out festive season specials, we will deploy our staff and vehicles strategically,” Jamieson said.

“We have previously responded to incidents on Black Friday. There have been stampedes at malls.”

On Wednesday, the SA Savings Institute urged consumers to guard against reckless spending and not to buy items they did not absolutely need as the country was at a major economic crossroads. – ANA