COVID-19 PANDEMIC DISTURBS BLACK FRIDAY

MANZINI – Black Friday - the biggest shopping day of the year – isn’t what it used to be!

This is because it is no longer a one-day thing and resulted in a slow start into the day in Manzini.

Previously, the day was characterised with scenes of people rushing to shopping malls early in the morning, but it appeared to be different this year and some attributed this to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Manzini for example, the day kicked off slowly, as the usual long queues together with pushing and shoving, which used to take place when stores opened, were not witnessed. 

While there has been some major hype leading up to this year’s Black Friday, it was not quite what some expected when the day arrived. 

Significantly

The usually busy Bhunu Mall looked significantly different this time around. However, as the morning progressed, the Black Friday ‘hype’ was witnessed as the central business district (CBD) of Manzini was characterised with long queues outside stores, mainly clothing shops and some supermarkets. 

Some of the people who were asked about the cause of the slow start into the big shopping day said this was because Black Friday was no longer a one-day thing, as shops had cut prices significantly from the beginning of the week. 

They said some of the specials, as advertised by the shops, indicated that the crazy sale would end on the first week of January.

In that regard, they said Black Friday early birds were no longer the people who woke up early, but those who bought the items they wanted earlier in the week. 

On the same note, others assumed that many stores had stretched the Black Friday specials for three days or a week to avoid congestion and to adhere to COVID-19 regulations.

Notably, even though there was a challenge in terms of observing social distancing, businesses ensured that customers were sanitised and scanned for temperatures before they entered the shops. Again, a limited number of people were allowed into the shops. 

Manzini Regional Administrator (RA) Chief Gija, who doubles as the Chairman of the Manzini COVID-19 Task Team, commended the businesses for extending the duration of the Black Friday in a bid to control congestions in the stores and city at large.

Businesses

He said everyone was aware that the country was trying to avoid being hit by the second wave of COVID-19 and it was in that regard that as a team they commended the businesses for the smart move.

“It is a challenge to deal with a human being and this move by the businesses is a good one,” he emphasised.

He also mentioned that as a team, which included law enforcers, they were also moving around town monitoring the situation. 

Again, the chairman said COVID-19 did not only affect people, but also the businesses.

 He said the business people also had a responsibility to protect their customers from contracting the virus to ensure continued support for their businesses. 

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