Protest against university cutbacks during Dies Academicus
Students of the University of Basel yesterday marched in solidarity in support of academic education during the traditional Dies Academicus event, held every year to celebrate academia in the city.
The university budget is expected to be cut by around 100 million Swiss francs over the next few years as part of saving measures. As a consequence, tuition fees could go up and there could be fewer internships available in the future.
The students led a procession through Basel’s city centre, proclaiming: “We are here and we are loud because our education is being stolen!”
Police looking for witnesses after bicycle accident in Allschwil
Baselland police are looking for witnesses after a cyclist was injured in an accident in Allschwil on Friday morning. The 45-year-old man was injured when he fell off his bike at the junction of Hegenheimermattweg and Im Brühl shortly before 1am. He was taken to hospital by paramedics.
The police are looking for witnesses who may know what happened to the cyclist. The cause of the accident is unclear. Anyone with relevant information is asked to contact the Baselland police on the following telephone number: 061 553 35 35.
Black Friday in Basel: The hunt for the best bargains
A new TV, Christmas presents, and stuff you don’t really need: the world was again gripped shopping fever for Black Friday. And astonishingly, many Baslers also open their wallets for the American tradition. Barfi.ch provides an overview.
Three years ago, Swiss supermarket chain Manor introduced the tradition of Black Friday to Switzerland. Back then, nobody was really interested in this strange custom. Now things are very different. Hoping to profit from the “Black Friday madness”, Baslers were queuing in front of shopping centres long before they opened. While the discounts in Switzerland are not as big as those in the United States (up to 50 per cent off everything!), the local shops in Basel also slash their prices for Black Friday.
This year, Manor adjusted its initial concept to suit the new consumer trends. Instead of offering discounts just on Friday, customers could benefit from cheaper products as early as Wednesday. Still, most shoppers chose to go to the stores on Friday. Manor Basel CEO, Alain Bücheli, expected about 15,000 customers by the end of the day. “Most of our customers came between 10am and 12pm, and then again from 2pm until closing time,” Mr Bücheli said.
Interdiscount offered cheap TVs, while Mediamarkt was rather disappointing
And he was right: In the morning, the cosmetics and fashion departments were full of customers – particularly women. M.A. (35 years old) from Basel, for example, was able to buy a Swarovski watch set for 250 francs instead of 476 francs. Apart from specific discounts, Manor offered a 30 per cent discount on a large amount of its products. However, customers needed a Manor card to get this discount. Those who did not have a discount card card were able to get one on the spot – and dozens of customers took the opportunity. They were queuing twice: Once to attain their Manor card, and then to pay for their products.
Many a customer used the opportunity to organise Christmas presents. Along with fashionable jewellery, this also includes toys or electronic goods. To get the real discounts on electrical goods however it was was less advisable to shop at Manor, which was offering only a ten per cent discount. Instead, most Baslers went to Interdiscount at Marktplatz. Long queues of people stood in front of the shop, all of them hoping to profit from the 20 per cent discount on TVs. Compared to this, a visit to Mediamarkt was less interesting: It already celebrated “Red Thursday” and did not offer much on Friday.
Black Friday also on the Internet
Even Internet shopping from the couch was lucrative. Mail-order companies such as Digitech, Galaxus, Brack, and Amazon also offered large discounts on their websites. But as in real life, there was also some queuing involved here: the websites were overwhelmed by the number of customers and at times needed a few minutes to refresh. Customers who could access the sites, however, were able to profit from good deals as well.
For all the people who did not want to enter this consumer madness, a visit to Marktplatz was the right choice; compared to the likes of Manor and Interdiscount, Basel’s weekly market does not get involved in “Black Friday”.