Black Friday: In-store shopping expected to make comeback as Canadians hunt for deals
Global News
The biggest shopping event of the year arrives Friday, a sales bonanza heralded by a flurry of promotional emails, online ads and paper flyers.
Annie Titheridge’s plan is to arrive at the mall before it opens, buy gifts for everyone on her list and beat the afternoon rush-hour traffic home.
“My husband and daughter think I’m mad going shopping on Black Friday,” said Titheridge, who will drive from King City north of Toronto to the Yorkdale Shopping Centre for the day.
“It does get absolutely crowded but I still prefer to shop in stores,” she said. “I prefer to touch and feel products before buying.”
The biggest shopping event of the year arrives Friday, a sales bonanza heralded by a flurry of promotional emails, online ads and paper flyers.
Black Friday has evolved in recent years from a one-day event – when shoppers lined up overnight outside big box stores to snag doorcrasher deals _ into an entire season of sales.
“It’s less about a single day and more about a prolonged period,” said Eric Morris, managing director of retail for Google Canada.
“It really has morphed in Canada from Black Friday and Cyber Monday into many, many weeks of heightened commercial activity.”
Still, many Canadians plan to hunt for deals on Black Friday proper, with shopping in brick-and-mortar stores expected to make a comeback.
