Signs outside a store on Ba Trieu Street in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - Numerous stores in Vietnam put up massive sales on November25 in an attempt to follow the famous US Black Friday.
The local shopping scene was not as hectic and anticipated as its UScounterpart, though several brands did manage to cash in on the occasion.
However, many stores were not alwaysfully committed to their discounts. In contrast to the tradition on BlackFriday in the US, during which the prices of all products are sometimes reducedby 50 percent, some sellers in Vietnam gave false promises and arranged adiscount-level ranging from 10 percent to 70 percent, depending on the item.And though stores did not fully admit, they all priced their items to attractmore buyers toward unwanted goods.
All over major streets in Hanoi, signs saying "Black Friday Sale up to 50percent discount" were displayed, ranging from high-end stores at Vincomshopping malls to lower end ones selling unlabelled clothing. Many were packedwith customers hunting for a bargain. Stores that attracted the most customersincluded higher mid-end to mid-end brands such as Emigo, IVY Moda, Charles andKeith, Aldo or Canifa, with very promising deals going up to 70 percentdiscount.
An employee at a Canifa store on Ba Trieu Street told Vietnam News, “This isthe second year our company has done a Black Friday sale to significantsuccess. Consumers flocked to our stores, and the company’s knitwear soldat record speeds compared to normal days. This applied to both low-end itemsand even high-end ones made from cashmere.”
Products on sale ranged from household items to clothing, though the mostanticipated sales were in the apparel area. Shoppers, almost exclusively women,including college students, office workers and housewives, gathered at variousmalls and streetfront stores starting early on November 25.
Customers were advised to be frugal and discrete about their purchases, as manyseemed to splurge on unnecessary deals. Many stores looked forward to the saleas chance to get rid of unwanted items from last season or even to mix in onesof lower quality.
The time limits for the sales are usually from November 25 to 28, with someexceptions of weekend deals only. Discounts come with coupons and otherpromising deals to attract customers’ attention.
Black Friday falls on the fourth Friday of November, following Thanksgiving Dayin the US. It is widely seen as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season,whereas major retailers offer promotional sales at a high discount to greatbuyer anticipation.-VNA
VNA
