As the clock struck midnight yesterday, hundreds flooded the Courts Guyana Megastore on Main Street to get coveted ‘Black Friday’ deals.
Although there were sales at all of Courts Guyana’s branches and affiliates around the country, it was the megastore on Main Street, Georgetown that was a hive of activity throughout the wee hours of Friday and over the course of the day. The sale was due to end at midnight, with up to 80% discounts being offered during a “Last Call” from 10pm to 12am.
Videos of the start of the sale showed hundreds of stampeding shoppers making their way into the store even as hundreds more waited outside in the crowded street.
When this newspaper visited the store around 11am, it met customers who had been there since the wee hours of the morning.
Managing Director of Courts Guyana Inc Vincent Gordon said the size of the crowd took all of the staff by surprise and noted that the entire store was full in about 10 mins after they opened. “The only thing that we didn’t anticipated is a completely full Megastore,” Gordon said, before adding that next time they would take into consideration how to accommodate more people as they would try to make the sale even bigger.
Courts offered as much as 80% off of high ends products at the start of the sale and other deals, such as buy-one-get-one-free throughout the day. As a result, premium home appliances and electronics, like stoves and televisions, were offered at bargain prices and went quickly. The company also enticed customers by allowing them the option of paying nothing until next February.
Gordon mentioned a TCL smart TV that usually retails for $180,000 being sold for $50,000 and a 13-inch gas stove that was worth about $200,000 also being sold for $50,000.
Gordon noted the popularity of ‘Black Friday’ in the United States of America and other countries around the world and said that it was one of the company’s stock takers who suggested that they try to emulate its success. Gordon decided to test it and was happy with the outcome.
He emphasized that they will do it again but differently next year because currently they do not have the capacity in the store to hold everyone. He pointed out that sales were also happening throughout all of Unicomer Guyana Inc branches in Guyana but the reactions were more muted at the other locations. All Courts Optical, Ashley Furniture, and Lucky Dollar branches were also offering similar discounts.
Meanwhile, Unicomer Guyana Inc’s Marketing Manager Christel VanSluytman told this publication that the idea was to have the biggest ‘Black Friday’ sale in Guyana at all of its ten branches throughout Guyana.
She added that they also catered for persons who did not have the cash at present by allowing them to pay nothing until February. She noted that some of the major discounts on items were also available online while some discounts on items were for in-store only.
VanSluytman also mentioned that they had hired additional staff since September but nonetheless urged that customers showing up in their numbers be patient.
One buyer yesterday said she got 25% off on an air fryer that originally cost $33,749. Nevertheless, she was still waiting in store for the prices to go down further later in the day so she could purchase more.
An online purchaser, Ceona Ray, purchased a coffee maker but found herself in a long line to uplift it. She felt the store was not as organized as it could be. However, she added that she was happy with her purchase.
Gaitree Sookdeo said she had found the prices affordable as she had gotten 50% off on her stove and she was waiting to see how much of a discount she would get on a washing machine. Like others, she was hopeful that Courts would offer such promotions more regularly.
