Today was the first ever "Black Friday" in Asuncion. Other cities in Paraguay (well, at least one, Ciudad del Este) have done Black Friday events in the past, but this was the inaugural "viernes de descuento" - Friday of discounts - in the capital city. Signs like the one below were posted in nearly every store, showing their participation in the event.
Now it did seem odd, I have to admit, to be doing "Black Friday" shopping when it wasn't the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas wasn't a few weeks away to provide a valid excuse for buying more than was really necessary. I also didn't notice any stores with extended hours, patrons camped out front the night before, or promotional gifts going to the first 100 customers through the door. But the weather was just right, since we are in fall, headed into winter, and it was a fun morning spent with Granny.
After Boston's morning snack, or second breakfast, whichever you prefer, we loaded up in the new double stroller (thank you, Sarah!) and headed out to face the madness. And while the traffic was much heavier than usual and police were strategically placed to help control the flow of cars around the mall, the stores themselves didn't seem much more crowded than usual. I take that back. They were more crowded than usual, but nothing compared to a U.S. Black Friday.
We did a little window shopping, but didn't spend much time in the mall. I was hoping to show Granny around our neighborhood mall, but we had a streak of bad luck with the elevator. The elevator itself is small to begin with and with the double stroller, we were going to have to be the only people in it. Trouble was, there was never an empty elevator for us to load into. People were actually loading into it on the ground floor (where we were patiently waiting for one to take us UP), riding it DOWN to the underground parking lots, then staying in to head UP to the higher floors. Really? I guess we didn't need to see the mall today, anyway.
Instead, we hit up a few boutique stores on our way to lunch and enjoyed sandwiches, french fries and ice cream (half off on Black Friday!).
As we headed home, we stumbled upon a set-up done by the city. There was live mariachi-type music playing and booths showcasing typical Paraguayan handiwork. Bailey wanted out of the stroller to dance and thankfully Boston fell asleep for her second, no, third nap of the day.
Granny picked up something for Papa back in Utah, and one of the vendors gave Bailey a mini-nanduti as a gift. I think she was irritated later when I didn't buy a bigger one for myself. I got over it.
Once we got home, we all settled into our beds for a much earned nap time! Tomorrow's agenda? Mercado 4, Lido Bar, AND Colon . . . we'll see if it all gets done! :)
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