Black Friday in Bridgetown: A Changing Retail Landscape

Bridgetown was a busy place this Black Friday. People walked around, looking at promotions and offers. But there was a change in the shopping culture even if it was under the surface.

For the traditional retailers, who used to enjoy high Black Friday sales, new problems arise. Some of the shopper’s excitement subdued as the day progressed.

Some complained about the low discounts which were offered to them. “I earlier mentioned, it’s not really a sale,” said one of the shoppers. Some accused high-price promotion which only masked itself as the bargain.

Some of the retailers were successful while others recorded poor performances due to the social media invasion. Some of the stores such as Abeds said they were receiving a constant stream of customers.

Manager Sulieman Bulbulia said that there was increased demand in home decoration and Christmas products. Customers flocked to the store displaying week long sale that proves the promotions for a longer interval to have been appealing.

Woolworths provided 15% off storewide, which is a very good sale for the store. Toy and holiday items received an early queue of customers.

Speaking with the managing director of the company Martin Bryan, he pointed out that another emerging market is online shop which is increasingly gaining importance in the strategic plan of the company.

Although, for remaining businesses overall performance was not very much encouraging and especially for the small-scale businesses, the situation was slightly worse.

As seen from the interviews conducted, one of the respondents, Jennifer Christopher of Fashion City fired slow sale in e-commerce indicating increased dominance of the market.

These shifts in shopping trends in Barbadians is because of the online platforms. Increasingly, the people buy goods through imports, rather than purchasing them from local merchants.

The technology in e-commerce is changing the face of retail industry. Grocery stores are also trying to increase the shop’s opening hours and also to improve online services. Some customers are still nostalgic for what Black Fridays used to be: Crowded and full of great offers.

It may be true that the traditional Black Friday approach of the consumers may be a thing of the past, the Black Friday isn’t. It’s about finding oneself in these transitions that are most challenging, and embracing the changes for the future.