Black Friday was in full swing in Richmond Friday.
“I haven’t seen so many people since the beginning of the pandemic. There are crazy lineups everywhere,” said Richmondite Lily Zheng, who was lined up at McArthurGlen Outlet Mall at 9:30 a.m. Friday waiting for it to open.
Zheng told the Richmond News there weren’t many people when she arrived early in the morning, but within two hours, everywhere she turned, the whole mall was bustling with shoppers.
“I had to finish shopping early today because there were just so many people out there,” she added.
A staff member who works at the administration desk of McArthurGlen Outlet told the News the mall’s parking lot was almost full well before noon.
A viral video circulating on Chinese social media WeChat also shows a massive lineup in front of the Michael Kors store at McArthurGlen. The person who shot the video said: “Other people told me it might take at least two hours to get into the store. Holy moley!”
Meanwhile, staff at the LEGO store in CF Richmond Centre said they have been pretty busy since early morning, but they have been doing well so far. A few stores at the CF Richmond Centre were too busy to talk over the phone.
Bronwyn Bailey, marketing manager at Lansdowne Centre, said Friday’s foot traffic at the mall is 15 per cent higher than normal Fridays and they were super busy since early morning.
“It has been a busy but good day,” said Bailey.
The Richmond News earlier reported that global supply chain issues have reached a fever pitch in 2021 even before the atmospheric river drenched much of the province from Nov. 13 to 15, disrupting transportation lines.
Because people spent less on travel, entertainment and restaurants due to COVID-19 restrictions, they have been spending more on furniture, electronics and sporting goods. However, the global supply hasn’t always been able to keep up with strong demand from consumers.
But Zheng didn’t think this would be a problem at McArthurGlen.
“It seemed that all shelves were fully stocked when I left the mall today, but Black Friday deals might sell out quickly,” said Zheng. “If you want to go, you should go as soon as possible.”
Bailey also didn’t think Lansdowne Centre would face a shortage of products since most stores have been preparing for higher demand.
-with files from BIV
