There’s no doubt that Black Friday looked different this year. Then again, what’s not different about 2020? Anyway, so many stores have changed their approach to sales, for instance, by offering Black Friday deals for an extended time, such as over a week or even all of November.
Additionally, most stores are now selling online, something both stores and customers were a bit afraid of last year but now seems like the norm. We got over our fear of the unknown world of buying online because of the all-to-known fear of contracting covid.
The combination of extended deals and online sales was a strategy that paid off. It allowed stores to achieve transactions equal to those of 2019, according to a preliminary estimate of the Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce.
The flow of customers to physical stores was moderate and controlled on November 27. Strict sanitary measures were in place. For example, the stores were limited to 50% occupancy, leading to long, yet socially-distanced, lines.
