Shoppers who border-hop to find good deals in the run-up to Christmas should be able to find some good deals here at home, as stores slash prices in the coming days.
Generally, the holiday shopping season in the U.S. starts the day after Thanksgiving. Dubbed "Black Friday" by Americans, the day got its name from U.S. retailers slashing prices in order to drum up sales and put their books in "the black."
But as Canadians in southern sections of the country head south to take advantage of the strong loonie, retailers in Canada are bringing down prices in order to keep shoppers here.
Victoria Spade, a spokesperson for Toys R Us in Canada, said the company is having its own sale.
"In response to Black Friday, Toys R Us has a week-long half price event starting Friday November 26," she told CTV News.
Sears Canada is another company competing with American bargains. After releasing the latest flier, it continued to slash prices.
"Since we printed the flier, we've had to reduce prices on some (items) by $20," said spokesperson Vincent Power.
Anthony Chan, from the website redflagdeals.com, said that bargain hunters will be able to find great prices without driving south.
"I definitely think there are a lot of deals to be had," he told CTV News Channel on Thursday afternoon.
Shopping online, for example, is one way to get some quick deals without the headache of crossing the border.
"We found a couple of deals where Banana Republic is offering 25 per cent off online," he said, adding that his website's forum has been buzzing with the best deal destinations.
"Canadians are definitely doing a lot of research," he said, adding that ‘if you're shopping online, always read the fine print."
While the struggling U.S. economy seems to be spurring the need for deeper discounts, Chan said that it's important that shoppers stay in Canada to help support local retailers.
"Being Canadian, we also want to support our local, Canadian economy," he said.
While stores in the U.S. normally launch sales the day after the big turkey dinner, this year, it appears that the sales are starting earlier on Thanksgiving Day.
For example, stores like Sears, Kmart, Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic all opened their doors on a day normally reserved for eating with family and friends.
While some have complained about the increasing commercial nature of holidays, others have said that offering sales for a few hours in the morning is a good compromise.
According to David Friedman, president of marketing for Sears, the decision to open for a few hours on the morning of Thanksgiving Day resulted from an earlier November sale which went over well with customers and staff, who get extra vacation pay.
With a report by CTV Toronto's Sneha Kulkarni and files from The Associated Press
