The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) says it recorded “phenomenal” sales on its ‘Black Friday’ promotion, with more than 3,000 customers flocking to its South West Plaza store last Friday.

BTC’s ‘doorbuster’ offer of a free Samsung J2 prime phone, with the purchase of $29.99 2G data, from 5am to 7am at its Southwest Plaza outlet drew a large crowd, the scene being widely shared on social media.

“Sales were phenomenal. We had more than 3,000 customers at our Southwest Plaza store, and almost 500 at our Pioneer’s Way Store in Grand Bahama. The response was overwhelming and we thank our customers for their continued loyalty. This is truly BTC country,” said Leon Williams, its chief executive.

Other Bahamian retailers also reported a spike in business as a result of their Black Friday promotions. Lavandrea Rahming, a Shayne’s Department Store manager, told Tribune Business: “Things have gone pretty well this year. I don’t think we saw the kind of foot traffic last year that we have seen this year. I would say this year was an improvement.”

She added: “I guess for those people who didn’t get a chance to go away they took advantage of the opportunity to shop locally.”

The store’s Black Friday promotion ran from November 25-26, with discounts on shoes up to 75 per cent and outerwear up to 30 per cent.

Commonwealth Building Supplies (CBS) Bahamas, another retailer which participated in the Black Friday promotion, also saw an increase in business.

“It’s been going great. The customers have really been coming in. It’s been pretty good this year,” said manager Carl Thompson.

Black Friday, the day following Thanksgiving in the US, traditionally marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, and has become known as a time when retailers offer significantly low prices on items.

While many Bahamians travel to the US every year for Black Friday sales, Bahamian retailers have in recent years been using the shopping tradition to generate more business for themselves ahead of the Christmas shopping period.