By Theodorah Mawasha
Black Friday kicked off with a rather low turnout of shoppers than anticipated as many people have lost jobs due to COVID-19.
The day that is usually characterised by scenes of people rushing to shopping malls but appears to be different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Modjadji plaza in Kgapane was evidently quiet as this day commenced.
Those who were around to do their shopping mentioned they are financially constrained and will only be purchasing basic essentials. “I recently was retrenched from work and making ends meet has become a challenge. I am only here to buy basic stuff, I don’t have money” Anna Mojapelo, one of the shoppers said.
A shoprite manager also expressed disappointment at due to low turnout of customers. “we extended trading hours because we were hoping to see long qeues which was going to boost our sales but things are not looking good,” he mentioned . Black Friday deal dates have been extended to the 29 November,to avoid stampede and overcrowding in malls as the country is still observing COVID-19 restrictions, such as social distancing.
