Shoppers won’t be the only eagle-eyed people out and about next weekend as retailers offer a bevy of discounts during Buen Fin – Mexico’s equivalent of Black Friday.
Officials from the Consumer Protection Agency (Profeco) will be setting up booths in several Guadalajara malls to attend to complaints from the public.
Profeco warns buyers that not all outlets that announce huge discounts — sometimes as much as 60 percent — have honorable intentions.
The agency says it will hear complaints from shoppers who can prove that a discount on offer is fraudulent and that the price of the item or service has not been lowered from its regular cost by the percentage advertised.
This year’s Buen Fin is scheduled Friday, November 16 through Monday, November 19 (Mexico’s Revolution Day holiday). First implemented with backing from the federal government in 2010, Buen Fin sees thousands of businesses and services offer discounts of between 10 to 60 percent in a nationwide sale that mirrors Black Friday weekend in the United States.
Retailers throughout the Guadalajara metropolitan area, and even at lakeside, will be offering significant discounts during the four-day sale, many with interest-free payback terms on credit cards.
According to a survey carried out by debt relief company Resuelve tu Deuda, six out of ten Mexicans will spend around 5,000 pesos during the Buen Fin. Financial watchdog organizations warn people against making rapid decisions to purchase goods without first reviewing one’s capacity to repay debt.
The early editions of Buen Fin saw shoppers inclined to buy electronic items over clothing and footwear, although that trend has changed in favor of clothing in recent years.
Those looking for travel discounts should check out the Web sites of Mexican airlines, such as Aeromexico, Volaris, Interjet and VivaAerobus.