Nearly half the Canadian population is expected to shop on Black Friday, with the average Canadian spending just under $300.
Here is a list of some of the major stores that are opening early for Black Friday:
- All Cadillac-Fairview retailers
- The Eaton Centre in Toronto
- Holt Renfrew
- Canadian Tire
- Best Buy
- Future Shop
- Target Canada
- Sears Canada
So how do you know where to go and what to look for?
Tiffany Heimpel, founder of She鈥檚 So Savvy, and Yahoo! Canada senior finance editor Ashleigh Patterson have tips on finding the best deals:
- Do your research. If you know what you鈥檙e looking for, Heimpel suggests searching for the regular prices beforehand to compare to sales prices among the various retailers.
- Have a budget: 鈥淚t is so easy to get sidetracked by the bright lights and the red signs,鈥� Heimpel says.
- Looking for clothing? Try to head into the fitting room as soon as possible to beat the crowds.
- Come prepared: 鈥淥ften people get really excited, they drive their tiny little car and then they come out with far too much stuf,.鈥� Heimpel said.
- Use shopping apps: Patterson recommends amazon.ca and RedLaser, which compares prices in the store by scanning the product鈥檚 barcode. 鈥淚t will give you a price comparison of where you may be able to find it cheaper at a competitive retailer.鈥�
- Get to the stores early
Better deals in Canada?
According to a price comparison by The Canadian Press, it depends on the store:
Walmart: Customers are liable to find great deals, but not as good as the discounts in the U.S. A four-gigabyte Xbox 360 console is $129 in Canada, with about $50 off. At a U.S. Walmart: $99.
Best Buy: According to CP, there are common items on sale at both U.S. and Canadian stores, suggesting it would not be worth a trip south. A 46-inch Samsung LED TV is $499.99 in Canada and just $22 cheaper in the States. A 32-gigabyte version of the Microsoft Tablet is $199.99 in both countries.
Target: Fewer items on sale, but a TV doorcrasher for an Element LED TV could be slightly a better deal in Canada. Also a better deal in Canada on a Keurig coffee brewer.
Patterson says this year鈥檚 Black Friday will be the biggest event on record for Canadian retailers and consumers.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not talking about paltry 10 to 15 per cent off 鈥� we鈥檙e talking about 50, 60, 70 per cent off 鈥� so if you鈥檙e just kicking off your holiday shopping right now, it鈥檚 a great time to get out there and start spending your consumer dollars,鈥� Patterson said.
Black Friday versus Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday, the online shopping day following Black Friday, is likely to continue on its trajectory as more people shop online. According to Patterson, last year鈥檚 Cyber Monday sales were up 22 per cent, and the day accounted for $1.5 billion in sales in the U.S. alone.
It鈥檚 a good alternative for deal-seekers who don鈥檛 want to cross the border or brave the malls, where Black Friday deals have in the past, led to frenzies and violence among customers. Patterson said the best Cyber Monday deals tend to be for clothing items.
With files from The Canadian Press
