For the so-called Black Friday sale, consumers didn’t get up early.
The long lines of people who at 4:00 am were looking to buy some other item in particular were not observed.
For example, the manager of the Best Buy in Hato Rey, Marielsa Colón, pointed out that the line they had at dawn was regarding 300 people.
“Before, the queue was much longer. Now, it looks like people are, right, spreading out during the morning hours. But, yes, they are buying,” she stated.
Large televisions are the items most sought following by consumers. At Best Buy there was a 70-inch Samsung brand for $547 and a 75-inch LG for $569.
However, the newly appointed DACO secretary, Hiram Torres Montalvo, stressed that in other businesses, televisions were also the most sought following by consumers.
“You have to see it (this sale) from the point of view that we were in a pandemic period. In 2020 and 2021 this very active dynamic of the early bird sale might not take place, so it has been a different Friday. I see a lot of consumers on the street and there is enthusiasm. They’re out looking for specials. Perhaps to our surprise in the Department, the most searched ‘items’ have once once more been televisions. The previous year it had been a ladder in a hardware store, because this year once once more televisions are the ‘item’ that Puerto Ricans are looking for,” he said.
He accepted, however, that sales have not been as in previous years, when thousands of people waited in line to go in early in the morning to do their shopping.
Torres Montalvo explained that “we have been on the street since 04:00 am and if you see enthusiasm, you can see lines. But not that large queue, of thousands of people that we saw a few years ago. Obviously, this has changed a lot because establishments no longer only offer special offers today, Friday, but they have them throughout the weekend. Obviously, the arrival of digital platforms to buy online as well. One can ask for a television and it arrives at the door of your house. That was not available a few years ago. So it’s different.”
He said that the “staggered” sales by hours also meant that consumers did not wake up in stores.
Regarding the method of payment, Torres Montalvo indicated that there were both purchases with cash and credit cards.
“There is a little bit of everything, because obviously the Christmas bonuses are already being distributed, there is the bonus for public servants, so there is money on the street. Consumers have come out to spend, to buy, and that’s good, because the economy is moving and I support businesses here in Puerto Rico,” she commented.
Likewise, the secretary reported that a fine was only issued to the Walgreens pharmacy in the San Patricio Plaza shopping center, in Guaynabo.
“It is linked to a labeling issue, rather. It is not related to product availability on today’s special sheets of the early bird sale,” she specified.
He also commented that they received “dozens” of consumer complaints regarding the internet and telephone service. He said that the DACO staff communicated immediately with the stores and managed to reach understandings in favor of the consumer without the need to issue complaints or fines.
In total, there were regarding 150 DACO employees who were active for these early bird sales.
On the other hand, it was around 10:00 am that First hour He observed that the parking lots at Best Buy and the Plaza Las Américas shopping center were full and he had to turn around several times before finding a space to leave the car. At 8:00 am, both parking lots appeared almost empty.
Consumers were happy with the savings achieved and that the stores were not as crowded.
Rodolfo Matos, from Guaynabo, was one of those satisfied customers. He showed that his receipt indicated a saving of $1,063. He said that he bought household goods to furnish an apartment.
“This is the first time I’ve come here for a Black Friday. I usually buy it online. But this time around, he looks pretty busy. I better buy online. This, because I had to come in person,” the man commented.
Glory Fernández, for her part, got up at 5:30 am to travel from Humacao to Hato Rey to buy a television and other items. She says that she has seen “movement”, but not like in other early bird sales in which she has participated.
“I saw the specials online and the televisions caught my attention. It was worth coming, because they have staff and they oriented me on the quality of the different brands. And I’m happy, well, for that, ”she said.
The woman explained that these sales have been favorable for the consumer, because the stores have divided them by days or extended over the weekend. She claimed that in the past she was one of those who at 3:00 am was already standing in long lines.
“Now it’s very good,” he said.
