Retailers are feeling the pressure of Black Friday as Canadians look to cut back on their spending

Businesses are under pressure to get involved in Black Friday sales and start them early as Canadian shoppers are expected to return this holiday season.

This means something similar to what we’ve seen in recent years: According to Retail, businesses are extending their promotions to offer deals from after Halloween through the end of December. Canada Council (RCC).

“(Black Friday) is more like a season than a day now,” said Santo Ligotti, RCC’s vice president of marketing and membership.

“Smart retailers will continue to run offers during that period to attract (shoppers).”

And for some smaller stores, to keep pace with the larger industry and match consumer expectations, they are now offering Black Friday Deals.

But this year brings a big challenge: People are planning to spend less this holiday season due to rising prices. While not representative of the overall Canadian population, many recent survey Unleash that tendency.

One recent survey The Bank of Canada also found that all the uncertainty surrounding trade action is weighing heavily on consumers, “significantly reducing their spending expectations.”

Because of all this, Ligotti with RCC said price is king this season.

“Price is the top filter for Canadians. They’re looking for sales, price matches and discounted purchases,” he said.

Small businesses gear up for Black Friday

To attract people’s pocketbooks, some small businesses, such as local gift and home goods store Wolf & Rebel in Windsor, Ontario, are pushing their first Black Friday sales.

“With the tariffs and everything, our prices have gone up, and I think it’s no longer as affordable for most people,” said shop owner Annie Wanrivong.

“People are struggling to pay for their groceries. So coming to a place like ours, I feel like it’s a luxury, like, to be able to buy these little things.”

Wanrivong says the one-day discount of up to 50 percent won’t make much of a difference to his bottom line, but he hopes it will increase footfall at his store and sell items that haven’t been taken off the shelves.

Fanny Vergnol de Villers, owner of VDEV’s homegoods and furniture store, says this is only her second year doing Black Friday sales, but she realizes it’s what customers expect these days.

“It seems like people were disappointed if we weren’t doing something, they were really expecting something, because big companies are doing it,” Vergnoll de Villars said.

Although he said sales at his three stores in Quebec and Ontario are going well, he has noticed that customers are on a “tighter budget.”

Some big retailers are offering huge discounts

Big box stores have been diving into Black Friday for years, but recently many have been spreading out their promotions — what used to be one or two day deals are now weeks long.

Best Buy, which typically has a lineup on Black Friday, says its goal in pushing the deals out for several weeks is to reduce crowds on the actual day.

This year, Best Buy Canada said the sale started on November 3, which is around the same time as last year. Central Store Leader Joe Colucci says Best Buy’s lowest offers can be found now through Nov. 28, with the company continuing to have discounts through the new year.

“We’re trying to give the customer a little bit of wiggle room so they can come in a little earlier and shop,” Colucci said.

Walmart, meanwhile, says it is offering some better deals than last year, but expects sales to remain strong over the next several weeks.

“(The holidays) are off to a great start,” John David Rennie, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Walmart Inc., said in the company’s latest earnings call.

“Everything we have seen so far makes us optimistic and encouraged about the inclination of customers and members to head into seasonal events and the holiday shopping period.”

Walmart Canada said it started offering early Black Friday sales a few weeks ago and customers can expect huge discounts on some products, with discounts up to 35 per cent off.

“I think there’s something for everyone in the home and for all different types of budgets,” said Morgan Ferris, Walmart Canada’s merchandising vice president for entertainment, electronics and toys.

What about ‘Buy Canadian’?

On whether the Buy Canadian movement could help boost sales for smaller stores, RCC’s Ligotti said sentiment has softened since the beginning of the year.

“If they’re going to push ‘Made in Canada’ or Canadian products, what we’ve heard from Canadians is that it’s still about price,” Ligotti said.

And this is in line with the Bank of Canada’s recent consumer surveyWhich found that many respondents said they were not willing to pay more than 10 per cent for a product made in Canada.

Despite this, small business owner Vergonol de Villars hopes Canadians will dedicate a portion of their budget to local brands.

“If people are making an effort to at least donate 10 percent of their purchases or just one or two things that you buy, that’s already very admirable,” he said.