Black Friday – good news for shoppers, retailers

With the current economy putting the squeeze on many households, savvy shoppers seem to have planned their Black Friday excursions very carefully this year as most malls and outlets report an increase in foot traffic and sales that was more evenly spread out through the day.
Last year’s Black Friday was characterised by early morning rushes at certain stores with people rushing to get their hands on the extremely affordable goods. There were also traffic jams throughout the city as shoppers tried to make their way to stores.
“The fact that Game just opened after midnight, ensured that there was no build-up of shoppers at 07:00. There was a constant flow of foot traffic, but it was more spread out throughout the day. The signalling of the traffic lights that we did last December, along with assistance of the Polokwane Traffic Department, made traffic flow very quick this year,” says Sumari de Ridder, General Manager of Mall of the North.
She reports that Mall of the North saw an increase of 26% in foot traffic compared to last year and that the tenant turnover figures that the mall has received thus far shows an astonishing increase of 84%. “We are very pleased with Black Friday at Mall of the North. There were no serious security incidents and there was a calm, in the centre, even on such a busy day.”
According to a media release, Makro launched its Black Friday deals last Wednesday, with specials running until Sunday.
Makro Marketing and E-Commerce Director Andrew Stein said in the release that online and in-store sales have been extremely good for the company, with TVs and large appliances being especially popular. “Customers appeared to have been saving for the event and took advantage of the deals, particularly in larger-priced items.”
Savannah Mall’s mall management was not able to comment at the time of going to print, but judging by the number of people that Polokwane Observer observed at the mall at various stages during the day, shoppers and tenants had a positive experience here too.

Story and photos: MARKI FRANKEN
>>marki.observer@gmail.com