Canadian 'Black Friday' fights to keep shoppers from border crossing
CBC NEWS: Retailers aiming for record day on annual U.S. Thanksgiving merchandise sales event
Forced to compete with the lure of even more duty-free exemptions this shopping season, more Canadian retailers are expected to jump on the U.S.-style Black Friday bandwagon in an effort to keep price-conscious shoppers from crossing the border.
While still not reaching the frenzied heights seen in the U.S., the Canadianized version of Black Friday —the annual U.S. Thanksgiving merchandise sales event — has steadily caught on in Canada over the past few years and is expected to have its biggest year yet.
"I think you'll see, across the board, all the major players participating this year in the Black Friday frenzy," said Ran Ravitz, general manager of RedFlagDeals.com, which keeps track of consumer deals.
Americans take advantage of a pre-Black Friday event at a Walmart store in Rosemead, Calif. on Wednesday. (Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press)
"Overall, [we're] going to see more participation with smaller chains and chains that didn’t have it last year."
A number of the big retail chains ramped up their promotions weeks ahead of the annual event, boasting an array of four-day special sales to coincide with the U.S. long weekend.
Black Friday became the biggest shopping day of the year for most people in Canada.
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