Black Friday shopping in Canada offers, some deals but retailers down south are offering insane discounts and pushing to get Canadians to cross the border and spend. Seen as the unofficial start to the Christmas shopping season, it’s a tempting offer. Many products are cheaper in the US and it’s hard to ignore the deep discounts, but is it worth the time and effort?
The price of gas has dropped, but our exchange rate is near record lows. If you’re not staying overnight, you’ll most likely have to pay taxes on any goods you’ve purchased. There’s a good chance those ‘deals’ will be minimal at best by the time you make it back across the border.
Black Friday shopping in Canada
Don’t worry, you’re not out of luck. Here at home, retailers are celebrating Black Friday shopping in Canada; Wal-Mart, Hudson’s Bay, Future Shop and Canadian Tire are just a few of the big stores looking to cash in this weekend, offering some of their biggest discounts of the year.
It’s not just the big name stores that want our money. Cadillac Fairview, which owns some of the largest shopping malls across the country including; Toronto’s Eaton Centre and Vancouver’s Pacific Centre, will be opening some of their properties early on Friday so you can get your shop on.
Retailers are opening earlier and putting on sales in hopes we’ll stay in Canada and spend our money here. With more than 50% of Canadians shopping last year on Black Friday, we’re happy to oblige.
Black Friday Canada online sales
It’s not just sales that Black Friday is famous for; unfortunately, it’s become synonymous with pandemonium. Shootings, stabbings and violence were reported over several states last year.
Here in Canada, we’re a bit too polite for any kind of violence, but we can save ourselves the trouble of lining up at an absurd hour by shopping online.
Black Friday Canada online shopping is nothing new, but the sales and shopping experiences are getting better. Deals are getting posted online in advance, and some retailers are even temporarily disabling their online stores to prepare for the increased web traffic come Black Friday.
Many retailers open up their Black Friday Canada online deals early, so you don’t need to wait for the stroke of midnight to start shopping.
The online deals aren’t just restricted to Black Friday—Cyber Monday spreads out the online deals. Cyber Monday takes place the Monday after Black Friday and it encourages you to continue spending online. Yes, it’s a marketing strategy, but when retailers are offering even more deals, it’s no surprise that Cyber Monday is one of the biggest online shopping days of the year.
One of the best Cyber Monday deals I’ve seen so far comes from Starwood Hotels. They are offering 30-35% off regular room rates at more than 600 hotels and resorts throughout North and Latin America. So if you’re planning a winter vacation, it’s worth checking it out. The sale runs until December 7th.
The best Canadian Black Friday deals
The commercials, radio ads, and flyers are getting us hyped and ready to shop. It’s a lot to take in, so many things we want to buy; how do we find the best Canadian Black Friday deals?
Redflagdeals.com is the largest Canadian bargain hunting website. When it comes to Black Friday, they are the go-to resource. Their Black Friday Canada section lists every available flyer online right now, giving us plenty of time to figure out which deals we want to focus on.
With so many flyers and deals it can be tough to figure out which exact products we want. At its core, Redflagdeals is a community website. If you browse the Black Friday forum, you’ll find that users have been discussing the best Canadian Black Friday deals and comparing models of different products for weeks which will help you in your decision making. It’s not just about price, it’s also about quality, and Redflagdeals has you covered.
Shopbot.ca is another website worth checking out. Famous for their price comparisons, Shopbot also reviews, and offers advice on just about everything, from furniture to coffee makers.
So whether you’re looking for user reviews on a big screen TV, the best laptop deal, or you just want to know what’s on sale at your local Wal-Mart, you’ll be able to find your answer just by checking online.
Final word
If you’re brave enough to make a trip down south, don’t forget to get the right travel medical insurance coverage. A quick trip to the doctor or hospital in the US could cost you hundreds if not thousands of dollars; that’s an expense that’s easily avoidable.
Black Friday isn’t for everyone, and the deals in Canada may not be as good as the ones found in the US, but one way or another, retailers are trying their hardest to get us to spend.
If you’re looking for a great deal, want to get your Christmas shopping done early, or you just enjoy shopping, by all means get in on the action.
Pour du local au Québec on a une compilation de toutes les ventes ici: https://www.circulaire-en-ligne.ca/evenements/vendredi-fou-black-friday.html . Mieux vaut prendre le temps de magasiner en ligne, c’est plein de pression dans les magasins et on risque de se faire avoir avec des offres “sensationnelles” qui ne le sont pas vraiment alors qu’en ligne on peut vraiment comparer!
Merci Mike! Super bonnes suggestions pour ceux qui veulent faire leurs achats en ligne. C’est vrai que les offres “sensationnelles” peuvent être trompeuses parfois.