Bernadette Keizer - RTV Utrecht - 26 / Nov / 2021
PROVINCE OF UTRECHT - Long lines, bags full of stuff and discount on discount: Black Friday, the bargain party from America, is celebrated again in the region this year. But not all entrepreneurs are waiting for stunting with prizes. Two Utrecht entrepreneurs are therefore not participating and are going for a green alternative.
In the fight against overconsumption, the term 'Green Friday' is increasingly appearing. It is an initiative of the Trees For All Foundation. Participating stores boycott Black Friday and instead hold a 'green' action, for example by planting trees. In Utrecht, in addition to BlackFish, Dille&Kamille, Decathlon and Intratuin are also participating.
The major cities, including Utrecht, are taking measures to manage the expected crowds around Black Friday. For example, so-called public supervisors will be placed in busy places. They must also ensure that the one-and-a-half-metre measure is complied with.Furthermore, an outdoor advertising campaign is being updated in the city based on the most recent measures. It is also not excluded that one-way traffic on both sides of the Oudegracht will be reintroduced in the city centre.
In the Hoog Catharijne shopping center, they expect that the shopping crowds will not be too bad. "Many stores already have promotions throughout the week: also pre-Black Friday sales, online promotions or they do not participate in Black Friday," says spokesperson Tessa van Beekhuizen. "We are taking extra measures so that shoppers can keep their distance." For example, one-and-a-half-meter stickers have been affixed to the floor and escalators everywhere and there are digital screens in the shopping center on which visitors are asked to keep their distance. "Security guards will also pay extra attention to this and possibly address visitors in a friendly manner to keep their distance."
