Customers no longer jostle to buy Black Friday goods, stores no longer 'fall'

Shopping atmosphere in Hanoi right before Black Friday.

Introduced to Vietnam many years ago, Black Friday has become one of the biggest sales events of the year, attracting consumers with countless opportunities to shop for cheap goods. Brands compete with each other to launch promotional programs to attract customers, competing fiercely with each other.

Therefore, during this time, especially as Black Friday approaches, stores have to welcome a huge number of customers. Scenes of queuing, even jostling and pushing to buy discounted goods continuously occur. Many places even have the phenomenon of "running out" of goods early and "falling" due to overload due to the rush of customers. However, this year, this atmosphere is no longer present in stores in Hanoi.

According to records on the evening right before Black Friday, although the number of shoppers was higher than usual, the stores were not packed. An employee of a fashion store on Chua Boc Street (Dong Da District) said: "Like every year, this time is extremely crowded, even causing traffic jams on the street. We have to work overtime continuously and work without rest because there are too many customers. But this year, the number of customers is only about 1/3 compared to last year. Many places even have to wait for customers."

There are shops with only a few customers coming to shop...

...or no customers right in the middle of the "golden" time.

Branded goods are no longer "hot", despite heavy discounts.

Ms. Do Quynh Anh (Hoang Mai district) said: "I was quite surprised to be able to shop freely without having to jostle in the middle of Black Friday. Because I knew in advance the hardship of shopping for Black Friday sales, I prepared quite carefully, such as going early or buying some items online, only going to the store to try on items in person. But I didn't expect it to be so empty today. Many customers must have had the same mentality as me, so they bought online in advance."

Cau Giay and Xuan Thuy streets used to be always congested on Black Friday but now they are quite "peaceful".

Most stores are in the same condition as usual, and some even have no customers at times. "It seems that this year, consumers are wary of having to queue to buy things, so they are turning to online shopping more. In addition, this is also an increasingly popular trend in the digital age. People don't want to bother going to the store to buy things anymore, but will order online and have them delivered to their doorstep," said a sales person.

In addition, many sellers commented that purchasing power this year is also much lower than previous years, even in the online system. The reason is said to be the difficult economy, causing consumers to tighten spending to reduce financial burdens.

"Many people also want to wait until closer to Tet to shop because this is currently the transitional season, so many stores combine it with clearing out inventory to prepare for new products. Therefore, customers are also cautious about this to wait for better quality products," said an employee of a fashion store.

Shopping malls are lavishly decorated for Black Friday but still do not attract many customers.

Many stalls are deserted.

Some places, although more bustling, are not as impressive as the "huge" attraction of this shopping festival.

Minh Duc

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/khach-khong-con-chen-lan-mua-hang-black-friday-cua-hang-het-canh-that-thu-ar910289.html