Why Black Friday is looking different this year for retailers and shoppers

Black Friday is looking very different this year for some retailers.

Owner of Toy Traders in Langley, Matthew Purdy, says he’s held a Black Friday sale event in the past, but this season he won’t be having one.

“There were a lot of challenges getting product during COVID because my supplier shut down and now we are having problems getting product for all different reasons,” Purdy told Consumer Matters.

One main reason is the ongoing trade war. Purdy says it’s making it more difficult to get some products.

“The majority of the products come through the port in California and so because of those tariff charges and they go up and down so much, companies are ordering less product,” he said.

“They don’t want too much carryover. When we are getting product, we are fighting with other stores to get the product. The last thing we can do is put it on sale right now. We need to have it for Christmas.”

Purdy says he has thousands of items discounted in his 17,000 square foot store, but a “flat” sale he can’t do at this time. “It’s a challenging year. Just having inventory, that’s the key thing,” said Purdy.

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On the upside, Purdy says he has far more customers compared to a year ago because of the ‘Buy Canadian’ movement. “We’ve gained so many customers because of the ‘Elbows Up’ people are staying home and shopping locally,” he added.

Canadian-based RedFlagDeals.com, which monitors sales and promotions, says it’s noticed the same trend.

“Canadians want to purchase Canadian products. We’re seeing Canadian retailers coming out with bigger and bigger deals and they are really focused on products that are within Canada,” said RedFlagDeals’ content coordinator Kari Erickson.

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Erickson says she’s also seen a shift in consumer shopping behaviour where the focus is on essentials. “People are not purchasing on a whim because it’s an 80 per cent off hot deal and I just have to have it. People are really thinking more carefully about where they are putting their dollars.”

London Drugs’ VP of Technology Solutions Nick Curalli says staff have seen more consumers this year searching for value as well.

“It’s been a tough year. Costs are rising, cost of living is rising. People are really concentrating on buying essentials for themselves,” said Curalli.

Curalli adds that Black Friday sales are already underway at the Canadian retailer and consumers can expect discounts across several categories. He says traditionally Black Friday was viewed as a technology event, but it’s expanded. “Small appliances, cosmetics, and other areas of the store, home goods. You’ll see lots of good value in those areas of the store as well,” said Curalli.

Black Friday officially starts on Nov. 28, but retail experts say if you see an early deal now, don’t hesitate. “If it’s already discounted, you are very, very unlikely to get a better deal come actual Black Friday,” said Erickson.

“If you see something that you’ve been watching and it’s on sale now, buy it.”

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