Black Friday, a day of sales with discounts up to 70%, is a hot topic. Every year worldwide, millions of people rush to stores intending to snag deals—clothing, furniture, or consoles. We went to meet with the people of Nice, both buyers and merchants, to see what they think of this day.
This morning, just past 10 AM on Avenue Jean Médecin, and the people of Nice were already rushing to major retail chains.
The few buyers questioned early in the morning all seemed unanimous: Black Friday is an important date for them.
Some even declare that Black Friday is more important than the regular sales because “it allows us to get -40% in one go, without waiting several weeks,” says Léa, 26. If she can do “her annual shopping for herself and her children,” Carine, 37, regrets the lack of discounts this year. She finds Black Friday was more interesting last year in Monaco.
Others mentioned the current crisis as an additional reason to take advantage of Black Friday for shopping or even preparing Christmas gifts.
And what about the merchants?
While the customers from Nice all seem pleased with this day of sales, the opinion of merchants and vendors is a bit more varied. In large retail chains such as H&M or Zara, the vendors were already very busy as early as 10 AM, running around, almost overwhelmed. And while they may not necessarily realize the economic impact this can have on the store, they are well aware of the increased number of customers this day brings. “Black Friday means a lot more work for us because there are many more customers, many more buyers, but also more people using the fitting rooms” says one of the saleswomen at H&M.
On Avenue Jean Médecin, which predominantly hosts large retail chains, the public was present, and the event is important for these stores. However, this is not necessarily the case for smaller independent boutiques.
The saleswoman at the shop Un temps d’avril, on Rue Pastorelli, admits that Black Friday is “absolutely not an important day” for the store and even declares that this day “is useless.” Indeed, as the store often offers items on sale throughout the year, Black Friday does not resonate with the shop’s clientele and “changes nothing.” The same applies to the florist at the shop Parmi les fleurs, who notices no change on this sale day.
So, whether a genuine event or, on the contrary, insignificant, Black Friday seems to benefit large retail chains more, and while the opinions of the merchants from Nice may differ, the customers all agree: Black Friday is an unmissable shopping day, and they plan to make the most of it!
