Some shoppers skeptical about Black Friday sales in Barbados

Bridgetown buzzed with activity this Black Friday as shoppers flocked to stores in search of deals, but mixed reactions to discounts left some questioning whether the annual shopping frenzy lived up to the hype.

The City was bustling with residents and tourists popping in and out of stores, looking for the big sales typically seen at this time of year, as retailers attempt to mimic the sales frenzy on the day after the US Thanksgiving holiday.

But many city shoppers who spoke to Barbados TODAY said they felt the Black Friday buzz was lacking, with many complaining that the deals were underwhelming.

“I don’t see the difference,” Amanda said. “If you really want to give people a sale for Black Friday, it should be like half price, 75 per cent off—that’s a sale. But when we come here, it’s just $20 off or $30 off. That’s not really a sale.”

Lydie accused some stores of inflating prices before Black Friday.

“We all know they up the price and then call it a sale.”

Michelle said the excitement isn’t what it used to be. Like many others, she only came to run errands and pick up a few items—not necessarily on sale.

“It’s not like it was before. You used to get a proper Black Friday sale.”

At fabric and home decor store Abeds, Manager Sulieman Bulbulia said that with most of their stock already on the island, they saw an uptick in shoppers during their week-long sale.

“We’ve been seeing a good thoroughfare of customers coming in and out of the store since we started at 8:30 this morning,” he said.

The store has seen strong interest in customers looking for home accessories and Christmas décor for the upcoming holiday.

“Traditionally, it’s home furnishings, and that’s what we are seeing again this year—curtains, things for the home, decorations as well. But our fabrics are also doing very well,” Bulbulia said.

Abeds has already begun its extended holiday hours. Bulbulia also announced that Abeds will open a new branch in Welches, St Thomas, in time for the holidays.

In another part of town, Woolworths offered storewide sales for Black Friday. Managing Director Martin Bryan said customers were waiting at the doors early in the morning.

“Whatever we are selling in the store today—15 per cent off storewide. A lot of people came early for toys, gifts, and Christmas stuff,” Bryan said.

Woolworths will also be extending its holiday hours. “We expect and hope that Christmas will be good. All of our stock is in now. We only have one more container to clear, which we’re in the process of doing. By and large, the majority of our stock is here, and we just look forward to our customers coming in,” he said.

Shoppers at Woolworths also have the option to shop online, something Bryan said is gaining momentum.

“Our website has been doing quite well. We’ve had it launched over a year now, and it is gaining traction every day— not only with local consumers but commercial ones as well. Especially hotels, villas, and Airbnbs—we’ve been getting a lot more pick-up there.”

At Bridgetown Duty-Free – the former Cave Shepherd – on Broad Street, shoppers crowded every floor, eyeing prices and queuing to pay. The ground floor, however, stole the show, with instant prizes drawing the most attention.

The famed store’s Operations Manager Stacey Wharton said Friday’s ground-floor activities were the highlight of the day.

“We’re not having Black Friday promotions specifically, but we do have promotions in-store. Basically, every department has a sale area,” she said.

Traffic was heaviest on the ground floor, particularly in the perfumes, cosmetics, and leather departments, Wharton said.

“The store was relatively busy compared to previous years.”

She said she expected another shopping wave next week as more customers look to buy Christmas and home goods.
But not all businesses thrived. Jennifer Christopher, owner of Fashion City on Roebuck Street, described business as bleak, citing changing shopping trends.

Christopher said: “Business has been slow, but we’re hanging in there. Based on what’s happening internationally, not only in Barbados, a lot of online shopping has taken over. Just take a trip past companies that import goods for individuals, and you’ll see lines of people waiting to clear their merchandise.” (LG)