• MANY took advantage of the Black Friday to buy good at reduced prices at Shoprite Zambia Kitwe branch yesterday. Picture by MUSONDA MANGILASHI

By REBECCA MUSHOTA and STEPHANIE KUNDA –
TRAFFIC jams outside and crazy in-store scenes characterised yesterday’s Black Friday in Lusaka and the Copperbelt where many overexcited buyers experienced mid-night shopping for the first time ever.
Game stores, which opened its doors at midnight and Shoprite, opening much later at 07:00, but earlier than usual, appeared to the main draws for the thousands of shoppers.
A crush of humanity surged into Manda Hill’s Game Stores as the clock hit midnight and the shutters slid upwards, as scores of shoppers jostled to gain from the various bargains advertised by the store with huge mark downs.
Matildah Kabwe said she had not experienced midnight shopping before and was excited to be among the first in the shop.
“I am so excited to see many people coming here for the same because I thought I would be the only one here at this time,” she said.
The scenes were the same at the Kitwe outlet, with shoppers swirling in like a floodtide, many making a beeline for electronics and electrical appliances.
Another shop which attracted its own share of overeager shoppers was the popular Mud Jeans Boutique, which was offering discounts of up to 75 per cent on some items.
By lunch time, motorists could barely get into Manda Hill or leave the premises because of the traffic logjam.
Another place that had slashed prices in the city was Castle Stores at the Castle Complex.
In Ndola, all the Shoprite outlets were chock-a-bloc with shoppers walking away mostly with groceries while many others waited in their vehicles for space to open up in the parking lot.
Christine Changwe, one of those who braved the crowds at the Kafubu mall said Black Friday should happen more often as it provided an opportunity for people with little cash to go home with some significant bargains.
“Black Friday should be a weekly thing. It gives shoppers the chance to purchase goods at give-away prices in the shops that we love the most,” she said.
Some people, however, did not share in the excitement, sneering that Zambians were in the habit of aping Western traditions without understanding their backgrounds.
One person said he could not participate in the Black Friday because it “sounded as though it was satanic”.
Other people said they appreciated the idea but did not have any money to take advantage of the slashed prices while others said it should be made into a holiday next year for it to fully serve its purpose.
Black Friday got its name from the day the US gold market crash in 1869 but changed meaning decades later when retailers made profit from slashing prices after Thanksgiving holiday..