Despite fears of a looming forth wave of Covid-19 infections and the devestating effects of the July unrest, shoppers all over the north are still gearing up for Black Friday.
Like every year, on the last Friday of November, shoppers make their way to malls to get their hands on just about anything they set their eyes on at “ridiculous prices”. Although Covid-19 restrictions have put a dampener on the festivities that once saw millions of shoppers in snaking queues with some booking their spot in camp chairs from as early as 10pm the previous day, South Africans are looking forward to the biggest shopping day of the year.
Shopper, Kerushan Pillay, said he has his eyes set on a new PlayStation 5 (PS5) game console that he is willing to queue for hours for. “Gaming is my hobby. I’ve owned every PlayStation since they started making them and I have hundreds of games. I am not a very ‘outdoor’ kind of person so gaming is something I really took to. I also appreciated the hard work put into making a good console and games. The graphics, storylines and missions are great so I’ll be making every opportunity to take advantage of this deal,” he said. Another shopper, Marlene Joseph, said she is on the lookout for a new cooking set. “I don’t have a brand in mind but I will be queuing at the front of the store on Black Friday hoping to get a good deal. There’s probably going to be a lot of pushing and shoving like previous years but I’ll just stand strong and make my way to the homeware section where I’m hoping to find more good deals.”
While some shoppers cannot wait for the big sale, others said they’ll be staying far away from malls on Friday. Ottawa resident, Mark Govender, said: “Apart from not having enough money due to the pandemic and insane fuel price, I don’t believe Black Friday sales are worth it. Fridges, TVs and other appliances are still so unaffordable. Usually if I want new appliances like that I buy second-hand or demo products. They work just as well as the brand-new ones for a real Black Friday price.”
