With Black Friday around the corner, shoppers will be making their way to various malls on Friday and over the weekend as no strict Covid-19 protocols are in place.
Shoppers are aiming to get large discounts on the highly anticipated shopping day for must-have items that have been on their shopping lists – but, it is important to be prepared and stay safe in the process, malls say.
Here are some tips on how to survive the Black Friday sale at Canal Walk, Table Bay Mall and Bayside Mall:
Know what you want beforehand
It’s important to know what you want to buy before you visit a mall.
If you fail to plan then there’s a good chance that you’ll be spending most of your walking around aimlessly.
Find out as much as possible about the discounts that will be offered by each shop.
Write down a list of everything that you want to buy on the day and use it as your shopping go-to list.
Whether you’re looking for gifts for friends and family, or for something for yourself, write it on a list so that you avoid duplicating gifts or visiting unnecessary retail stores.
Know your way around the malls
Now that you have an idea of what products you want to buy and what retailers you want to visit, you have to plan your route to use your time and steps efficiently.
Get a map of the mall and print it.
Go through the shopping list that you have created and mark every shop that you plan to visit on Black Friday with a pen or pencil.
As soon as you’ve finished doing this you will be able to see which sections of the mall you’ll be spending most of your time.
Draw the quickest route on the map and create a list of each store in the order of the route so that you avoid going up and down any part of the mall.
Plan your parking
Just as important as knowing your shopping route in the mall, it is also a good idea to plan where you park as well.
We suggest that you plan where you park according to the shops that you will visit first.
But, in addition to this, you may want to consider parking in areas that are not as frequently used by shoppers coming to Canal Walk, such as the mezzanine level.
Plan breaks and keep your energy up
Let’s face it, you’re going to be standing in queues and manoeuvring through crowds for a few hours – stay hydrated and keep your energy levels up.
Make sure you take lots of water and energy drinks with you and plan to have regular breaks.
Perhaps a good lunch or early dinner at some of Canal Walk’s eateries can help you ease your mind from a stressful shop and motivate you to become the ultimate shopper once again.
Be safe
It is also important to avoid walking around without a plan. Police have warned that criminals target malls on Black Friday.
Avoid carrying large sums of cash and walking with your wallet. Rather use your card to make payments and try to visit the mall with a friend.
