DAR ES SALAAM: SOME stores at Mlimani City Mall opened an hour earlier than normal time to give shoppers ample time to maximise and enjoy Black Friday’s discount offers.
The time flexibility in return doubled sales at almost all stores, leaving the workers with memorable smiles and joy of the epic day that Black Friday brought.
The ‘Daily News’ observed some stores opening as early as 08:00am in the morning compared to between 09:30am and 10:00am on the normal days.
A shopper, identified as Dr Edith Lyimo, a University of Dar es Salaam lecturer, said retailers started pushing sales earlier prior to Black Friday, especially those online.
“This has become my annual event. I shopped every Black Friday for the last six years and enjoyed massive off-price,” Dr Lyimo said.
She advised shoppers to start saving earlier and shop well ahead of Christmas, especially on Black Friday thus enjoying massive discount offers.
The ‘Daily News’ spot survey last Friday showed that sellers slashed prices by between 20 and 70 per cent to woo shoppers to shop extra.
Black Friday is the biggest shopping day that comes after Thanksgiving and on the last Friday of November. Apart from offering shoppers big discounts it symbolises the opening of the year-end festive—Christmas.
Mr Micky Decha of the Defacto store said they experienced a good surge of shoppers on Black Friday last week which was second to none since opening the store this September.
“Actually, the number of shoppers doubled during Black Friday,” Mr Decha, who also works for LC Waikiki, said.
Mr Decha said towels and bathrobes were discounted by 70 per cent while adults and children’s clothes were discounted by 20 per cent.
Wanlong Manager Ms Consolata Shayo said that the discount of 25 per cent worked perfectly to entice many shoppers to buy items from their store.
“There were big changes on this Black Friday compared to the last,” Ms Shayo said while offering a million-shilling smile, “Shoppers queued on paying, which means people are now starting to understand the essence of Black Friday.”
Most shoppers, according to Ms Shayo, bought decorations and home appliances.
Ms Jacqueline Sadicky, a Dar es Salaam resident, who also used to buy online said that she had spent all her savings on Black Friday to buy for her ‘secreto’ (secret friend).
“Each year I set goals for what I need to buy on Black Friday and almost always shop online. This year, I bought a smartwatch from KiKUU at a discount of 50 per cent,” said Ms Sadicky.
However, in South Africa this year’s Black Friday sales came as South Africans grapple with soaring interest rates and steep rises in food, transport and health costs, leading them to spend strategically on products they need the most amid a cost-of-living crisis.
