“Today it seems that it will be like yesterday but stronger: when the rush hour comes, it will be stronger.” The watchman of this establishment of the center Barcelona comments on the play with his teammate after overcoming one of the first big tests of the day. It is Black Friday (this Friday, finally, officially), and his, a temporary point of sale of the Shein brand, is called to be one of the attractions of the day. Or that can be deduced from the fact that it is one of the only two establishments in the angel portal that they have people waiting at the door for a while before opening.
There are about 20 people 10 minutes before 10. And 40, all of a sudden, only five minutes later. But the rival is close: at that same time Zara It is close to a hundred potential buyers, a couple of them with suitcases in hand. “I’m going to be the first to go in,” taunts a man passing by a few meters away from the group. “People are sick,” a woman tells her interlocutor on the other end of the phone. But those who are waiting care little about the criticism: the blind has gone up, so they are already searching among offers that, according to the storefront, can reach a 40% discount only today.
But once both tails are dissolved, normalcy returns to take over Portal del Ángel. And despite the fact that the word Black Friday is repeated everywhere promoting discounts that do not fall below 20% and that go up to 80%, who do not have much expectation on this day seem to be close to winning the club. The passers-by walk calmly, the shops breathe calm, and the shop assistants seem prepared for much more commotion than they find first thing in the morning.
Of course, the day had only just begun, and it still seemed hard to believe that six hours later the landscape would have changed radically. Of course, depending on the area. Because this Black Friday is intermittent, progresses in fits and starts and is celebrated with more or less intensity depending, even, on the street. At five in the afternoon, the shops of Portal del Àngel -queen of the party- are full: not enough to take the consumption indicators for the month of November for granted, but enough to give these businesses a breather.
Tranquility in the surroundings
In the outskirts, on the other hand, tranquility, normality and plenty of space inside the establishments. Several associations that group small merchants had already warned at the beginning of the month that the thing was not for discounts. “We are assuming very high extra costs: we are very tight with the margins to lower prices,” they said from the Spanish Trade Confederation. “We are not here to make discounts, we are rather to close,” he said. PIMEC Commerce. “We participated reluctantly and with minimal discounts,” the association finished with resignation Barcelona Commerce. And that is what those who run businesses in less crowded areas maintain this Friday: that they are too against the ropes to lower the price of their genre.
But Black Friday exists again when you arrive at El Corte Inglés, which concentrates so much movement on its ground floor that it almost seems that the Christmas be a matter of days
The print is similar in Primark. And here is a nod to businessmen who defend that discount days of this style are also good because of their ramifications: if this competition were measured in bags, the Irish low cost clothing brand would be the clear winner. There are those who carry four in each hand. And that this chain never signs up for sales campaigns. “Black Friday has become one of the best weekends of the year, and people wait for this day to go shopping: later they can buy more or less or even buy things that are not on sale”, they bet, in this sense , from the association Barcelona Open.
balance still uncertain
In any case, the balance is still uncertain. First, because the good expectations of the big trade take into account the entire weekend. Second, because the bustle of people is not the bustle of bags. Third, because the concentration in the main shopping areas in the center of Barcelona makes water barely two streets around it (above, below, to the left and to the right). And, fourth, for all that they have been putting on the table supporters and detractors of Black Friday these last few weeks: this may be purchases that are not made after Christmas, the lower purchasing power of the buyer it may leave you with no choice but to be more selective with your purchases, or that how much prices have gone up may give you a false sense of increased sales compared to last year.
At the moment – everything is to maintain optimism – one thing is clear, the Shein guard was right: today has been like yesterday, but stronger. And everything seems to indicate that tomorrow, that is, on Saturday, it will be even more so.