JOHANNESBURG - While Black Friday drew thousands of bargain-hungry shoppers malls across South Africa today, many cash strapped consumers said that they were not convinced that the discounts were deep enough.
Shoppers filled their shopping trolleys with mainly two-ply toilet papers, cold drinks, breakfast cereals and milk.
While big-ticket items including microwaves and television sets were also popular among shoppers. Shoppers also showed restraint amid the tough economic environment saying that they had to ensure that their rands stretched further than Black Friday.
“There were no real discounts. It was just the same. It was not special. No,” said Roy Jali a Bez Valley resident who shopped at Checkers in the Eastgate Mall.
Jali said he was a first time Black Friday shopper and was convinced it was a for retailers to make money.
“I just saved on the microwave. I bought toilet paper and breakfast cereals which are the normal things that I buy. If the toilet paper was cheaper, I could have bought more,” said Jali.
South Africa- Cape Town- 29 November 2019 The busyness at Sportscene and chaoticness as consumer try to find the goods that they’re intrested in purchasing. Photographer: Lalinka Mahote/ African News Agency (ANA)
At Eastgate Mall, there were long queues at retailers including Game, and unlike previous Black Fridays, there was no pandemonium.
South Africa- Cape Town- 29 November 2019 As people stand in the long queue to make sure that they don’t leave without their goods, even the queues are long but that is not stopping them from getting thier goods. Photographer; Lalinka Mahote/ African News Agency (ANA)
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