Traditionally, Black Friday doesn’t happen until November 23, but online retailers have begun using the term more as clickbait than as an actual date. Mall.cz launched its Black Friday sales at the end of November, while CZC.cz waited until the first few days in October. And the strategy appears to be working. Alza.cz kicked of Black Friday sales on Monday and the resulting wave of order nearly broke its servers. The company’s director of web development Vladimír Dědek told Lupa said it wasn’t a complete meltdown but admitted some customers may have been unable to make orders temporarily. “The web page is currently accessible and we’re working hard to make sure the situation doesn’t repeat itself,” he said.
