We’re not going to say it, you can’t make us, bllngghmmgh….Black! Black Friday!!! Makro, traditionally the home of cut-price electronics in South Africa, are indeed going all out this Black Friday, with 26,000 lines on offer over five days, a new mobile pay-point system to speed up those smaller purchases on the way out, a new online drive-thru service at the Makro Riversands store, which (their words) “is a never-been-seen-before feature at a retail store in South Africa, enabling customers to collect their online items in an even more convenient manner,” a flat R70 delivery fee for both online and instore purchases, a R50 Uber discount to and from Makro stores and 10% back on your mCard.
Comment: Despite the profitability challenges that Black Friday presents, retailers need to face the reality of the position it now holds on the retail promotional calendar head on. The enthusiasm and inventiveness with which our retailers have embraced this annual pre-holiday bacchanalia of buying is, we suppose, a credit to them.