Skip to content

Retailers back Black Friday

In 2011, Red Deer shoppers had to look long and hard to find a Black Friday sale in the city. This year, they’ll be hard pressed to avoid them.The day after American Thanksgiving, long a retail bonanza in the United States, has now established itself as a red-letter day on many Canadian’s shopping calendars. A recent BMO Financial Group survey found that 47 per cent of Canadians plan to shop this Black Friday, up from 41 per cent in 2012.

In 2011, Red Deer shoppers had to look long and hard to find a Black Friday sale in the city. This year, they’ll be hard pressed to avoid them.

The day after American Thanksgiving, long a retail bonanza in the United States, has now established itself as a red-letter day on many Canadian’s shopping calendars. A recent BMO Financial Group survey found that 47 per cent of Canadians plan to shop this Black Friday, up from 41 per cent in 2012.

Red Deer retailers appear happy to oblige.

Mary Kitzan, marketing and speciality leasing co-ordinator at Bower Place Shopping Centre, recalls only U.S.-based clothing store Aeropostale promoting Black Friday at her mall two years ago. Last year, many more took part and in 2013 the tally has spiked even further.

“We have some of our tenants opening at 7, and there’s a lot of positive feedback and people wanting to participate this year.”

Krista Dunstan, marketing director at Parkland Mall, describes a similar phenomenon at the north Red Deer shopping centre. At least 35 tenants there plan to open early this Friday with special deals.

Both malls are jumping aboard the Black Friday bandwagon, advancing their own opening times that day to 8 a.m. Parkland is giving a free $10 gift card to shoppers who buy $100 worth of gift cards, and Bower plans to serve free refreshments and have a tuxedo-clad Santa greeting customers.

“It’s growing in Red Deer as a whole, I believe,” said Dunstan. “You hear lot more ads this year than you did last year.”

Kitzan agrees. She thinks U.S. companies with stores in Canada have contributed to the growing recognition of Black Friday here.

But plenty of domestic retailers are also getting into the post-Thanksgiving shopping spirit. Among these is Peavey Industries Ltd., a Red Deer-based company that operates 30 Peavey Mart stores in Western Canada.

Albert Lee, Peavey Industries’ vice-president of merchandising, said in a statement that this will be his company’s first Black Friday sale, and it wants to make sure it’s done well. He added that Peavey Industries has put a great deal of planning into the event, which will extend throughout the Peavey Mart chain.

Canadian Tire dipped its corporate toe into the Black Friday waters last year, with a sale that wasn’t specifically tagged as Black Friday event, said John Dueck, store manager of the south Red Deer Canadian Tire.

This year, Canadian Tire stores are advertising a “Red Thursday” sale that will continue for four days.

“We’re just opening up the doors one day earlier to kind of set the pace for the community,” said Dueck.

Canadian Tire stores will open at 7 a.m., an hour earlier than usual, on Thursday and Friday.

In the United States, Black Friday is considered the kickoff to the Christmas shopping season. Dunstan thinks Canadians could benefit from such an unofficial launch.

“It’s a good reminder to people that Christmas is coming.”

She also thinks pre-Christmas deals help shoppers who are scrambling to fill their gift lists. The BMO Financial Group survey suggests that Canadian consumers feel the same way, with more than twice as many respondents indicating that they planned to buy for others as there were those who planned to buy for themselves.

But Dunstan doesn’t think Boxing Day — traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year in Canada — is in danger.

“I think it’s a different kind of shopper,” she said of the Black Friday enthusiasts.

hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com