Staff work overtime for bargain hunters: discounts for consumers, holiday breaks for employees

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There are discounts again on Black Friday. 20, 30 or even 40 percent? Many retailers are turning this into Black Week and are therefore already starting to roll out their first discounted offers.

The blackfridaydeals.ch platform predicts sales of 490 million francs (excluding food) for the discount day of the year. “We expect about the same amount of purchases as in 2022,” says Julian Zrotz (36), who manages the platform. Inflation-adjusted sales roughly correspond to the previous year.

Next Friday, orders will be two to three times higher than on a normal day. “The effort from retailers is therefore at least twice as high,” says Zrotz.

To cope with additional business, some retailers are taking a holiday break around Black Friday. Many also hire people on a temporary basis. “They cannot replace permanent employees due to lack of experience and routine. That’s why they’re particularly in demand,” says Zrotz.

In a survey conducted by the platform, 65 percent of participants found it problematic that staff had to work so much overtime. In fact, 32 percent think Black Friday should be abolished for this reason. Especially 40 percent of the elderly have this opinion.

Donate instead of discount

Not all companies participate in Black Friday. Instead, Ikea is organizing Buy Back Friday and buying back furniture. Caritas is organizing Fair Friday for the sixth time. Last year, together with 190 partners, 111,000 francs were raised to fight poverty. For example, Orell Füssli is there.

“It makes sense to extend Black Friday over a longer period to ease the burden on employees,” explains Zrotz. However, he notes that retailers are offering discounts for a shorter period this year. Because actions that last too long are no longer perceived as special.

Still, some offer promotions ahead of Black Week. For example, Media Markt had heating discounts for a week. Lipo, Amorana and Jelmoli had also previously submitted their first offers. This included brands such as HP, Dyson and Nike.

Young people tend to buy spontaneously

Consumption desire is quite low. Keyword inflation: rent, electricity and health insurance costs are rising. Therefore, consumers need to pay more and more attention to their budgets. However, this is exactly why discount campaigns are more important than ever for households this year. After all, you can save money by bargaining.

But only if you buy what you really need. In particular, almost half of young people say that they spontaneously shop on Black Friday. “Then there is a greater risk of unnecessary purchases and overconsumption,” says Zrotz. Last year, consumers paid around 235 francs on Black Friday. There has been more and more spending every year since 2018.

In general, young people are more willing to buy than older generations. A third of boys plan to spend more than last year, according to a study by Salesforce. That’s why they find Black Friday more attractive.

Source :Blick