There’s optimism among Clare retailers this lunchtime that shoppers will support local outlets this Black Friday.
The annual shopping day is in full swing in this county and elsewhere, with significant discounts being offered by retailers and online stores.
The Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States, when the price of goods is slashed for a day, has taken off in Ireland in recent years.
However, it has left Clare retailers on the fence about whether to take part in the flash sale.
The head of Ennis Chamber feels Black Friday places increased pressure on retailers locally.
CEO Margaret O’Brien believes the event is a ‘disrupture’ to the defined period of seasonal sales that already exists in Ireland.
Some retailers in the county town and its environs are more optimistic though, with the belief that people in Clare will support local today and over the weekend.
There’s suggestions the digital offerings that have developed and improved from local enterprises since the onset of the pandemic are improving sales.
Mary O’ Halloran, who owns An Binsin Luachra on Lower Market Street, says there’s a huge amount of goodwill towards local business in Clare.
