It was the best of discounts and the worst of queues as SA customers sought out bargains on the day that officially marks the start of Christmas shopping — Black Friday. In the US, Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally marks the start of the Christmas gift shopping season. In SA, frenzied shoppers mobbed grocery and retail chains, some of which offered discounts of up to 50%. The fever was not limited to bricks-and-mortar stores, with e-commerce players taking strain under the immense demand for goods. Takealot marked down prices on a select number of products by up to 60%. The e-tailer, SA’s largest online store, suffered some downtime on Friday despite efforts to support the website in advance. Viccy Baker of price comparison website Retail Price Watch says that Checkers stood out among grocery chains for the average savings it offered. "In several cases savings were close to those claimed by the brochures," says Baker.
She says data showed that if a custom...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.