On Friday evening, traffic jams near major shopping centers located within the Greater San Jose Metropolitan Area (Spanish acronym: GAM) served as a reminder to drivers in Costa Rica that Black November is now in full effect ahead of Black Friday. Exacerbating the situation was the fact that mid-month payment for most workers took place this Friday, and some employers chose to pay aguinaldo (13th month) bonuses before December. Heavy traffic congestion was seen around Wal-Mart stores and shopping malls as eager shoppers seemed to shrug off current economic conditions in Costa Rica. This year marks the second celebration of… The post Busy Black November Ahead of Black Friday in Costa Rica appeared first on Costa Rica Star News. Continue reading →
On Friday evening, traffic jams near major shopping centers located within the Greater San Jose Metropolitan Area (Spanish acronym: GAM) served as a reminder to drivers in Costa Rica that Black November is now in full effect ahead of Black Friday. Exacerbating the situation was the fact that mid-month payment for most workers took place this Friday, and some employers chose to pay aguinaldo (13th month) bonuses before December. Heavy traffic congestion was seen around Wal-Mart stores and shopping malls as eager shoppers seemed to shrug off current economic conditions in Costa Rica.
This year marks the second celebration of Black November in Costa Rica, a special shopping period first reported by The Costa Rica Star last year:
Black Friday in Costa Rica is mostly a 21st century phenomenon. It closely follows the post-Thanksgiving Day shopping madness in the U.S. and it just happens to fall right after a period of inventory clearance and accounting reconciliation in Costa Rica. In the U.S., Black Friday has the connotation of kicking off the busy holiday shopping season, which prompts retailers to use black ink pens on their accounting ledgers to mark profits rather than red ink for losses.
Retailers in Costa Rica try to mirror the deep discounts seen in the U.S. during Black Friday. The intention is the same: By taking a chance on reducing margin per unit, shop owners intend to move more merchandise and increase store traffic. This has been a winning formula for Tico merchants, especially for those who sell home appliances, electronics, clothing, toys, perfumes, and even tires.
The port of Golfito, province of Puntarenas, can be credited with the creation of Black November. It was this shopping mecca that decided to welcome Tico shoppers with deep discounts as early as November 1st. A new trend that emerged in tandem with Black November is an increase in domestic tourism operators who offer special shopping trips throughout the month. These tour packages leave from San Jose and Cartago, and they include travel on air-conditioned buses and overnight lodging at modest hotels in Golfito.
Shoppers who purchase big items in Golfito such as stoves, refrigerators, washers, dryers, etc., can negotiate delivery to their homes, which is usually about 3 percent of the purchase price. Expats are known to travel to Golfito looking for deals on trusted appliance brands such as Whirlpool, Maytag and GE.
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