Black Friday got off to a slow start in Woodmead, north of Johannesburg, with many South Africans citing financial problems due to the ailing economy.
Known for its clothing factory shops such as Nike, Adidas and Puma, only a handful of shops saw long queues as few rushed to get their Friday shopping deals done before work.
A woman who joined the back of the queue to enter the Adidas shop said she planned to stock up on Christmas gifts.
“It's no longer a thing where you come to buy stuff for yourself. Previously I would buy so much stuff for myself but now I have to think ahead. I might get something small for me but most of my shopping will be for Christmas gifts.”
Car guard Bafana Mkhonto, who has been working in the vicinity for two-and-a-half years, said it was a slow start compared to what he had previously seen.
Joburg cargaurd, Bafana Mkhonto, based in Woodmead, says #BlackFriday this year has been notably quiet in comparison to last year.
— Orrin Singh (@orrin417) November 25, 2022
He casually greets one of his customers during the interview and asks for "some 200 Rands." @TimesLIVE pic.twitter.com/BRpYZ7dnVb
An employee at Tekkie Town said this year was the slowest and quietest he had seen.
“It's quiet compared to previous years, but we are also not having as many specials as we used to. For example, this year we don't have soccer boots on special and lots of people, especially the younger boys, come to us for soccer boots.”
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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.