TORONTO — New retail data show the spread of Black Friday sales in Canada is changing the shape of the holiday shopping season, The Toronto Star reports. While the sales have long been a staple south of the border, where this weekend marks the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, Canadian shoppers have traditionally had to wait for Boxing Week deals. Now, as more and more Canadian retailers mimic the practice even without an accompanying holiday weekend, consumers are finding deals where they can.
“It’s less about this one particular day … and it’s more about this micro-season of retail,” explains Robert Begg, VP of product marketing, social and advertising products at customer relations firm SalesForce, noting that retail traffic picks up as early as Hallowe’en. “Canadians have no particular allegiance to a day—Black Friday or Cyber Monday or Boxing Day—they just want deals and to take advantage of them online, either at home or on the go.”
