Quiet start to Black Friday in Pretoria
Shopping centres in Pretoria were set for an early start and a rush of shoppers, but only just above normal levels of shoppers have been seen so far.
Black Friday was off to a slow start in Pretoria on a rainy morning today.
Many shopping centres in Pretoria were set for an early start and a rush of shoppers trying to take advantage of Black Friday deals this morning, November 25.
However, thus far shopping centres and malls have seen only just above normal levels of shoppers.
Yesterday, November 24, the Tshwane emergency services issued a call for a focus on safety during Black Friday.
“Shoppers looking to score savings on valued items that they intend to purchase may flock to some retailers in larger than normal numbers, possibly overcrowding the capacity of some retail outlets,” it said.
Silver Lakes
A mostly empty parking lot still saw customers taking advantage of Black Friday sales with shoppers leaving with trollies of TVs and toilet paper at Silver Lakes.
Makro Silver Lakes management said that they would usually expect a rush in the morning as shoppers tried to take advantage of Black Friday savings before heading to work. They suspected the gloomy weather had something to do with the slow start and said they expected an after-work rush later in the day.
As for the top-selling item so far, they told Rekord the toilet paper was the top shop item so far with almost R70 off.
Mamelodi
Denlyn Mall in Mamelodi saw nothing out of the ordinary on Friday morning.
Shop windows were ready advertising savings and specials, but only an average number of shoppers showed up for the specials.
Menlyn
Average foot traffic was seen at Menlyn Park Shopping Centre, but shoppers were still looking forward to Black Friday deals.
Susan and Timothy Hendricks said: “We are here to score ourselves a bigger television set and buy groceries.”
They said the year had not been great financially and they could not afford to splurge too much.
Thobius Moripe said he was off from work and his wife had sent him for groceries.
“It was my wife’s idea for me to use my spare time to quickly bolt to the mall for items we use daily at home.
“So I have this list of various shops to go to for only groceries.”
Moripe said he could not spoil himself with gadgets as there was still a household to run and children to feed.
“I can’t buy any appliances as I didn’t budget for them; however, I haven’t seen a worthy deal for appliances for me to risk my savings for.”
Soshanguve
For the last three years, Soshanguve Crossing mall set off at 07:00 to let shoppers make the most of their savings. However, not all shops were opened early in the morning due to a power outage. Those that were open, saw shoppers who did show up for Black Friday deals shopping in the dark.
Some shoppers were queuing, but not for shopping – they were getting an early start at the banks.
Shops and malls are expected to see increased traffic today and over the weekend. After a slow start, it is expected that these centres will be busiest this afternoon and on Saturday, when most stores still carry over Black Friday deals.
ALSO READ: Be realistic about your finances this Black Friday
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