Consumers have reported that the 'Black Friday' sales, which recently concluded after being extended by several stores to include the 54th UAE National Day holiday, allowed them to purchase many needed goods at suitable and competitive prices. They told 'Emirates Today' that, despite this, they observed seven negative practices during 'Black Friday'. The most prominent was that discounts were limited to specific items, while most goods, especially high-end ones, were excluded from the sales. They also pointed out that some stores advertised a flat discount on all products, only for customers to discover that certain new items were excluded, with small print stating: 'Discounts do not apply to these items'. Additionally, they mentioned that discounts were focused on summer clothing models and older models of electronics and furniture, and they suffered from long queues at checkout counters due to their limited number or some being closed.
Consumer Ali Rashid stated that the 'Black Friday' sales enabled him and his family to buy many necessary goods at reasonable and competitive prices. At the same time, he highlighted several negative practices he observed during these sales, which diminished their benefit to some extent. He explained that some stores offered discounts on a few, limited items, while most goods, particularly high-priced ones, remained outside the discounts. He added that stores selling furniture, clothing, shoes, and bags advertised a fixed 40% discount on all items in the store with large, colorful signs, but he discovered that some stores did not adhere to this and excluded some new, high-priced items, with small print reading: 'Discounts do not apply to these items'.
Consumer Mohammad Salama found the 'Black Friday' discounts to be beneficial, enabling consumers to purchase their needs at good prices, especially after many stores extended the sales period to cover the National Day holiday, which was in the consumers' interest. He noted that the benefit was mutual, as stores significantly boosted their sales, which was evident in the long queues at checkout counters. Salama also mentioned some negative practices he observed in some stores, the most prominent being that some retailers raised prices on goods and products that they had discounted during the 'early sales', which he found very strange. He gave an example of a store that reduced the price of an electric frying pan from 900 to 677 dirhams during the early sales, then raised the price to 800 dirhams during 'Black Friday'. Another store offered a clothing item for 50 dirhams instead of 90 during the early sales, then raised the price to 70 dirhams during 'Black Friday'.
Consumer Mona Al Sayyafi confirmed that the discounts covered a wide range of products in general and allowed her to buy goods for herself and her family that she would not have bought at their previous high prices and in such large quantities. However, she noted that there were some negative aspects she observed, including that some stores, especially furniture, home decor, and home textile shops, continued to offer the same discounts they had put out more than two weeks before 'Black Friday' without adding any new discounted items, despite announcing new discounts of 30% to 70% on new signs placed in the stores.
Consumer Imad Sultan stated that the discount percentages in some stores were low, especially on modern models of electrical appliances, electronics, and clothing, while e-commerce platforms offered large discounts on some items that far exceeded those in mall stores. He confirmed that he suffered from long queues at some checkout counters due to overcrowding and a lack of registers, with some of them closed despite it being a main shopping season. He called on stores to allocate additional registers during the sales season.
Meanwhile, a responsible official at one of the participating stores, Ahmed Siddiqui, said that 'the discounts were generally very good and diverse, covering many goods and products, which boosted store sales by more than 50%'. He explained that 'the discount percentages on electronics are not as low as some think, because their prices are high to begin with, and the deducted amount is considered large'. In response to a question about the price difference between stores and e-commerce platforms, he said: 'Discounts in stores and on platforms should not be compared, especially regarding electronics, as platform warranties come under what is called a 'third-party warranty', which is mostly limited and conditional and does not have the advantages of a store warranty'. He also pointed to the difference in rental costs, employee salaries, and services between platforms and physical stores.
The sales manager at another store with branches across the emirates, Osman Salman, stated that the sales are the most important of the year, covering a wide variety of goods and extending for a long period, as many stores continued the discounts until the end of the National Day holiday. He confirmed that the discounts covered a wide range of old and new, winter and summer models, but with varying percentages depending on the store and item. He noted that the long queues at checkout points are evidence of the success of the sales campaigns, pointing out that some items sold out during the sales, and the items excluded from the discounts were few, as they have a low profit margin, and large discounts could cause losses. He also revealed that retail outlets are currently studying ways to reduce overcrowding during future sales through measures such as increasing the number of staff at checkout points, with another employee helping to pack purchases, in addition to placing additional registers if suitable space is available in the stores.
Negative practices in 'Black Friday': • Discounts were on a limited number of items, while most goods, especially high-priced ones, were excluded. • Stores confirmed a fixed discount on all products, then it was discovered that 'discounts do not apply to these items'. • The same discounts offered before 'Black Friday' were presented, with no new items added. • The discount percentage was reduced in 'Black Friday' compared to the early sales. • A focus on summer clothing models and older electronics and furniture models. • Discount percentages in some stores were low, especially on modern models of electrical appliances, electronics, and clothing. • Suffering from long queues at checkout counters due to their small number or some being closed.
