Citizens question Black Friday deals and claim fraudulent promotions abound

Santo Domingo.- Black Friday offers (Black Friday) once again generated divided opinions among Dominican consumers, who value the possibility of acquiring products at reduced prices, although they maintain doubts about the authenticity of many of the announced discounts.

For some citizens, the date represents a real opportunity for savings. Víctor Rosario considered that “it is a date to buy at good prices, and that the population is using to buy the things they need”. However, he warned that not everything that is promoted as an offer really is.

“Some establishments have fraudulent offers, as they raise the price days before and then put it at the normal price, passing it off as an offer,” he affirmed.

Despite acknowledging the appeal of the sales, Rosario said she does not plan to make purchases this year. “Not because I really don’t need it. I am not a consumerist”, she declared.

Other citizens share the perception that the offers are tempting, but they consider that the economic situation limits purchasing power. “The offers are very good, but there is no money on the street“, said an interviewee.

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Avelino, another consumer consulted, was more critical when questioning the veracity of the discounts.

“I don’t think these offers are real. Regularly what they do is raise the prices of the products. Example: if a phone costs RD$5,000, days before they raise it to RD$8,000 and on Friday they put it back to RD$5,000. So it’s not real,” he maintained.

Meanwhile, businesses are maintaining their discount campaigns on one of the busiest shopping days of the year, amidst an atmosphere marked by the enthusiasm of some shoppers and the caution of others.