Tis' the Season... to Shop?

When the US celebrates Thanksgiving, it means that we north of the 49th are subjected to a barrage of Black Friday promotions from electronics to cars to flooring sales.  

The term "Black Friday" was originally coined in association with a financial crisis in the US in the late 1800's. Later, it was used to describe the mess of traffic and crowding on the day after Thanksgiving when many people were taking advantage of an extra day off and shopping for the upcoming Christmas holidays.
Eventually the term evolved more towards the idea that is signaled the time of year when retailers finally "got out of the red and into the black", referring to finally turning a profit.  Ultimately, it became a day that, to our friends south of the border, begins the month-long frenzy of the Christmas shopping season.

To some of us in Canada, it means a long wait at the border, longer waits at checkouts, possible hotel room and meals and wondering whether we really are getting the best deal when we go across the line.  More and more in recent years, Canadian retailers have been watching the masses go south and were unable to do much to stem the flow.  Now it seems these same folks are getting smart to the fact that if they offer the same or similar deals, more people would stay here.  To hear the various news reports, the tide is turning - slowly.  The prices are getting much closer to parity but is it enough?

In the automotive business, we have always had a larger difference between the US and Canadian prices.  It was always explained away as population differences, transportation costs, taxes and other similar reasons.  Much of this is true and it is difficult to sell a car in Canada on par with the US.

On the other hand, can a "big box" electronics retailer afford to mark down particular high-volume items, such as TVs, for a short period of time?  Certainly for a few days, one must think they can.  If they want to keep Canadian shoppers here, there really isn't much of a choice.  One does have to wonder though, does a Canadian division of an American company care?  If the money all goes to the same place, maybe not.  A fully Canadian company will have the added challenge of competing against that.

As mentioned earlier, more Canadian retailers are now having Black Friday sales. Prices are much closer to those down south, but is it enough to make up for sitting in border line-ups and dealing with crowds at the same stores there as you could shop at here?

Time will tell if the Canadian stores will be able to keep shoppers here.  Are you planning to go south to shop or not?  Let us know in comments below.  

In the meantime, the best advice from many so-called cross-border shopping experts out there is to check and double-check US and Canadian ads before going shopping.  We may even have a deal or two ourselves!  That new purchase may not be as expensive as you think right here at home!