'Worth the 24hr wait': Black Friday kicks off with discounts of up to 90%, marathon queues

SINGAPORE - Armed with a large suitcase to haul her purchases, Ms Miley Nguyen waited patiently outside Robinsons The Heeren on Friday morning (Nov 29).

The 29-year-old Vietnamese tourist is heading back home next Monday, but not before snapping up a few deals at the highly anticipated Black Friday sale.

"Everywhere I walked in Orchard Road, I saw sales banners about great deals. I want to buy cosmetics and skincare items, which are usually expensive," said the freelance artist, who was one of at least 200 people who were already in line before the Robinson outlet opened.

Ms Nguyen was in the queue at 5.40am, but some shoppers had even queued overnight for the sale, which offered discounts of up to 90 per cent.

Then, as the clock struck 7am and the store's doors opened, she disappeared into the rushing crowd, silver suitcase in tow.

Another shopper who had joined her in the snaking line that went well past the store's entrance was a 27-year-old teacher and her two friends.

The teacher, who wanted to be known only as Ms Hwang, said that she was in the line at 6am, and they were armed with a deck of cards to while the time away before Robinsons opened.

"This is our third year participating in the sale. We do it for the experience, not just the shopping," said Ms Hwang.

But some shoppers had queued for an even longer time.

A 30-year-old designer, who wanted to be known only as Ms Amanda, said she and her friends were at The Heeren outlet 24 hours before the sale even began.

They bought $8,000 worth of products and redeemed an iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Carrying big shopping bags, Ms Amanda said the sale was "worth the 24-hour wait".

The department store was giving away the iPhone 11 Pro Max, which costs at least $1,799, to customers who spent a minimum of $8,000. There were limited phones available and given out on a first-come, first-served basis.

By 7.15am, just 15 minutes after the store opened, shoppers had already formed a 50m line to redeem the phone.

Another shopper, who wanted to be known only as Mr Tan, started queueing at the ungodly hour of 4am on Thursday, leaving him with a 27-hour endurance test.

The 29-year-old financial adviser is getting married soon and had his sights set on a new mattress and some home appliances such as a rice cooker and vacuum cleaner for his new home.

About 50 people at the front of the line also began queuing at 4pm on Thursday, 15 hours before The Heeren outlet opened its doors.

Bargain-hunting shoppers equipped with sleeping bags, tables and foldable chairs camped outside the store overnight to ensure they were at the front of the queue for the Black Friday sale frenzy.

Robinsons' Black Friday sale, called The Great Blackout, runs from 7am on Friday to 1am on Saturday at the department store's outlets in Jem, Raffles City and The Heeren.

A Robinsons spokesman said that the retailer prepared for six months in the lead up to the sale.

From confirming deals with brands to campaign planning, staff at Robinsons were well-prepared for the first customers to step into stores on Friday morning.

Concerns over safety with the expected shopping frenzy did not go unnoticed.

"As always, customer safety is our priority and we also aim to make the shopping journey and transactions smoother to reduce waiting time," the spokesman said.

Many of the 300 staff members manning The Heeren outlet on Friday said they had dealt with frazzled and excited shoppers during past Black Friday sales.

Madam Zainah Aziz, 45, has taken part in six editions of the department store's Black Friday sale event as a staff member at The Heeren outlet.

"The staff work round the clock to make sure the customers have a good experience. We look forward to seeing excited customers, as they look out for interesting discounts," she said.

"Family members and friends check with me as early as March or April to find out about the upcoming Black Friday sale. But I told them not to come look for me at the store during the sale, as I would be very busy."

So far, home appliances and electric products were the most popular at this year's sale, Robinsons said.

There was also a flurry of activity at other stores on Orchard Road as customers descended on the shopping belt to cash in on discounts and deals.

One such store was Metro's outlet at The Paragon, which offered discounts up to 90 per cent.

Ms Vicky Liu, 23, a sales staff member who works at the Dyson counter at Metro Paragon, said she had attended to twice as many customers on Friday as other sales days.

The Dyson hairstyling product she was demonstrating was going for $599, $100 off its original price.

For some customers like Ms Hisaka Nishino, the Black Friday sale at Metro was an opportunity to shop for presents for family and friends.

Ms Nishino, 42, who is unemployed, said: "This is my first time attending Black Friday sales in Orchard Road and I have been able to purchase a few things since I came down at 10am. The low prices and discounts are attractive, but the crowd can be intimidating."

Retailers such as Sephora at Ion Orchard and Courts at The Centrepoint are expecting crowds after office hours on Friday.

Some customers like hair stylist Ms Winnie Wong were also spotted shopping on their friends' behalf.

"My friend has to work today so I came down to Sephora to buy products for her. She wanted some skincare products and a bottle of perfume. The items come up to about $300," said Ms Wong, 21, who estimated she enjoyed savings of about 20 per cent on the products she bought.

Black Friday sales, an annual affair at many retailers, are said to have started in the United States but have been gaining traction in Singapore over the past five years.

They are traditionally held on the Friday after Thanksgiving and so named because stores would make enough money to keep them in the black.

Major retailers in Singapore such as Robinsons, Courts, Tangs and Metro have jumped on board in recent years.