Canadian Black Friday Sales …Also US Thanksgiving Day Sales

I had mentioned in a previous blog dated Nov. 12,2012 about the start of Black Friday sales in Canada.

Well, Canadian Black Friday sales are still going on as of today due to the need for smart economics on the part of Canadian retailers to ensure  that they can lure as much Canucks as they can from going to the US to spend their dollars for Christmas shopping.

In addition, since last year,the US has  slowly started opening most of their stores right on their Thanksgiving Day for Christmas shopping. I call it the  US Thanksgiving Day Sales.

In spite of protests from many folks,whether shoppers or retail employees about the audacity of opening the stores on their Thanksgiving Day and stating that it deprives them of spending time with loved ones in the comforts of home, well, tell that to the retailers and bargain hunting shoppers involved in this new shopping era.

One silver lining I see here is for the consumer to burn out their calories after gorging on their Thanksgiving feast by going to the stores for some serious shopping. They’ll need that extra fuel to muscle through the crowds. Better than a sleep coma and packing on the pounds,in my opinion.

In both Canada and the USA, the need to attain retail profit so as to stay in business has already become a necessary evil and the new normal. The consumer on the other hand wants to get as much out of their money as they can in light of today’s inflation.

One isn’t forced to shop if they don’t want to and even if one gets a great bargain, I still believe that one needs to use his head so as not to get the spending out of control. One needs to know how much one can spend and not spend just for the sake of a sale.

The needs versus wants come into play here prior to any purchase. It’s good to buy something as a treat or reward but it should also be controlled. Same with buying necessities(ex. groceries,toiletries,etc). Some essentials have expiration dates,you know. No use hoarding them if they become stale,worn-out,etc.

Happy shopping anyways in this jovial and festive season but do so with both your mind and heart in check.

Josie

Shopping During A Closing-Out Sale

My local Zellers dept store(a Canadian mainstay) is closing its doors for good on March 14. As a result, it’s now on liquidation status with sale prices at an initial maximum of 60% off. Everything has to go, even the store fixings!
I had been there a few times since the start of the new year and it gets more interesting as certain depts gradually look more spacious as its respective store items get bought up. It then makes me wonder if by the time the store posts 90% off sale prices if there’s anything left to be sold at all. Most likely, you’ll only get slim pickings ‘coz all the good items would be gone by then.

My dictum in shopping during a closing-out sale is to buy what I need at discounted prices. Don’t buy something that you don’t need or want just because it’s on sale. Don’t think that the item that you want to buy would still stick around on the last liquidation sales week.

Be ready with the mindset that once you purchase a liquidation sale item that there’s no return nor exchange possible afterwards.

With that in mind, happy shopping!

BTW, my local Zellers will soon be converted to a Target store and will be open in December this year.

Josie

In Retrospect…Yuletide Sales Shopping Etiquette—Is There One At All?

Shopping for a good sale especially this Yuletide season is an annual event especially in today’s economy. The urge to get the great deal for your money can give one a thrill and the determination to get the coveted item by hook or by crook. Sometimes, one’s determined mindset in this situation can get us sometimes to behave somewhat irrationally to the detriment of other shoppers who happen to be in the same store as you.

I hear occasional  stories of unruly behavior during Black Friday sales because of the intense desire to get the best deal. Well, I feel that even during post-Christmas sales, such unpleasant  events can happen too since more price cuts on already sales items can bring out the  animal in us at times.

Case in point, I noticed while doing some post-Christmas shopping, that 1 customer was looking very angry and frustrated and vented out at the sales person when a desired item is already out of stock and no rainchecks are allowed as stated in their flyer. Shooting the messenger, in this case, the sales person is really uncalled for. Pushing and shoving a fellow shopper when getting a desired item, I noticed it too.

Folks, it’s not the end of the world if you can’t get the item you want. There’ll always be a sale in days to come. Exhibiting uncouth behavior will stay a long time in people’s memories more than the sale item itself. It’s not worth it.

In retrospect,there really should be some form of Yuletide shopping etiquette but is there really one at all?

Just my 2 cents on this matter.

Bonjour!

Josie

Boxing Day(December 26—The Day After Christmas)

Yesterday was Boxing Day, mon ami. I was busy browsing over after-Christmas sales yesterday online. Dec. 26 on my neck of the woods would mean that the stores aren’t open unlike other parts of Canada.Where I live, Boxing Day shopping is delayed by 1 day,therefore, it happens today,Dec. 27.

Boxing Day is an annual holiday observed both in Canada and in the U.K. It falls on Dec. 26,the day after Christmas. In olden times, the masters of the house would box their gifts(“Christmas boxes”) and give it to the household help and tradesmen on Dec. 26 as part of celebrating the Yuletide season with them.

Nowadays, it means another excuse to go out shopping for more sales especially after Christmas and for the stores to further pad their year-end profits even more. Shopping of course will either be on-site or online these days.

Some will stock up for rock-bottom prices on Christmas cards,wrapping paper and decorations, clothes,shoes,etc.,even using whatever Christmas gift money or gift cards received to rake in the savings even more.

The stores offer such great prices so as to get rid of their old store stock so as to make room for their new store inventory for the coming new year.

Ah,yes! The shopping seems to never end but it is really  hard to ignore a good sale especially in today’s economy.

But as I has said before, don’t buy something just for the sake that it’s on sale. You’ll just experience buyer’s remorse out of it. Be sure that what you buy is what you really want or need. The sense of satisfaction that you get from making a good purchase for the best reasons  is priceless.

Happy shopping anyway,folks!

Josie

Free Shipping Day–December 17(U.S.A); December 12(Canada)

As if one would have already felt shopped-out in preparation for Christmas, here comes the retailers with an offer which is very hard to refuse—FREE SHIPPING.  When shopping online, getting a great bargain would appear to be magnified when you can get an item with less hassle and which would arrive at your doorstep or mailbox without any additional delivery/shipping costs. This would be helpful too if you’re sending the gift directly to the recipient’s address. Considering the price of gasoline nowadays and especially if one doesn’t have a car, this free shipping option is too good not to be ignored.

Finally, do not buy something just for the sake of free shipping. I mean by buying any item that you don’t really need or want at all isn’t worth it even if it comes with a free shipping incentive. It’ll just be a waste of money and you’ll just have a dose of buyer’s remorse, mon ami.

In light of this, it has been an annual U.S. event every December 17 which is almost 1 week before Christmas. Retailers look at this as an opportunity to boost their yearly revenue by enticing more online ordering, also adding extra perks like no minimum required purchase as well as online discount coupon codes as the case may be.

By the way, Canada already had its Free Shipping Day just this past December 12.

Happy shopping!

Josie

Christmas Shopping Mindset–How To Prepare For It

Going out to the malls to avail of the greatest deals especially with this hyped-up start of the Christmas shopping season needs a great deal of preparation. Not only do you have to be up to date of incoming deals through flyers, online messages and even deal apps on your phone, you also have to be physically and mentally prepared for it as if you’re going to war.

I’m not exaggerating when I mean that one has to prepare as if going to war when planning a shopping trip of this magnitude. You got to be physically strong,perhaps know a little judo or karate to fend off rude shopping competitors lest you get trampled on and mentally prepared to spring into action when someone else tries to outwit you on the latest sales and be prepared for any unusual surprises along the way which would lessen your shock. Believe me,mon ami, sometimes a good sale can bring out the worst in people almost to the fringe of insanity IMO.

This type of shopping experience is  definitely not for the fainthearted.

As they say,forewarned is forearmed. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

Keep this in mind and happy shopping!

Josie

My View On Cyber Monday

For the faint-hearted ,crowd phobic and what-not who think that shopping inside a store isn’t their cup of tea, there’s always online shopping with free shipping to boot if possible. Let your fingers do the clicking on the keyboard at the comfort of your home or workspace if applicable.

Shopping through paper catalogues is still around but because big sales from these aren’t frequent unless it’s a big sales catalogue, online shopping is the way to go since sales are always present to a certain degree.

Cyber Monday has already been kept up here in Canada as well especially these past 3 years. It’s no longer an American shopping pasttime. Getting more bang for your buck is the main priority. As soon as you see something you want at a great price online, do not dither because if you do, it’ll be gone,sold out to the next buyer or the sale price brought back to its original retail price. Remember, you’re competing with other buyers for the same thing. The cyberworld is really small if you think about it,mon ami.

Just make sure that you go only to reputable websites because the last thing you’d want is to surrender sensitive credit card info to unscrupulous dealers. Check your computer screen for the yellow padlock, https and other security icons which tell you that a website is safe to be surfed.

Happy shopping!

Josie

Black Friday Sales in Canada as well as Small Business Saturday

The Canadian shopping scene is becoming more Americanized especially these past 2 years in my opinion. Proof is their coinciding with Black Friday sales in the United States. In my previous blogs, I had discussed about early Christmas mindset and shopping, even about the US Black Friday and now Black Thursday deals. Well, here in Canada, we don’t yet see the stampeding crowds grabbing the last sale item or the long overnight queues outside the stores. Black Friday in Canada is mainly about a barrage of sales not only on Black Friday but for the rest of the 3 day weekend in sync with the US Thanksgiving weekend. Some even make it a 4 day weekend to coincide with Black Thursday in the US.

With the recent increase of exemption limits of duty-free products that a Canuck can bring back from abroad,Canadian retailers are forced to compete with their American counterparts to try to keep the price-conscious Canucks from going down south of the border to spend their money to bolster the US economy instead of the Canadian economy.

But some experts think that all this Black Friday hype in Canada will eventually fizzle down. With the influx of some American retail stores already setting up shop here in Canada,bringing with them the same promotions and strategies that they show in the U.S., the need to go down south will die down to a degree.

Seriously, I doubt it and it remains to be seen how price regulation in Canada will continue. Even if an American store sets up shop here, if they’re going to be bound by  Canadian tax regulation similar to the Canadian stores, then it’ll still be expensive to shop at that American store which opened on Canadian soil.

Therefore,Canadian retail and taxation need to be evaluated further for any possible reform if they want to be at par with their American counterparts.

Today’s reality is that the Canuck will always look for the best deal whether here or outside Canada. Saving a few extra dollars will always take top priority as much as possible.

By the way, since today’s Saturday, it’s also known as Small Business Saturday wherein during this start of the Christmas shopping season, we’re being encouraged to support small and independently-owned stores(known as “mom and pop’ stores) by patronizing their business so as to boost the local economy. It emphasizes the need for small business owners to survive in this crucial time and not only the big box stores.

Happy shopping!

Josie

Black Thursday–The Start of A New X’mas Shopping Trend in the US of A

It all started last year by Walmart on US Thanksgiving Night. It opened its doors to the public at 10 pm to start the annual X’mas shopping season than on the usual Black Friday. It started as  a trial run to see how the public responded at the risk of stoking the ire of folks who treasure the sanctity of observing Thanksgiving Day.

Many Walmart employees had to modify their Thanksgiving  plans with family and friends so as to report to work while the rest of the populace had to decide whether to linger over their festive meal and personal time with family and friends or to leave their homes early so as to be among the first to get the greatest Thanksgiving bargains that they can on that auspicious night.

Well, it was a huge success for Walmart and it’s back again, together this time with other stores like Kmart,Sears,Target,the Gap and Toys-R-Us. In fact, days earlier, there were already long lines of people around these stores before today and even had plans to cook and eat their Thanksgiving meals right on the lineup. All for a great deal! My, oh, my! Such tenacity but I guess if one can and wants to do it, then so be it. To each his own. It’s a free country.

This is part of the new normal now–Black Thursday and is probably here to stay. Reason for its existence was for the retailer to grab early  the clientele from online retailers like Amazon,etc. but for sure, Amazon,et.al will find a way to outwit Walmart et al altogether. Talk about Ebenezer Scrooge not wanting to waste a day to make a profit!

It’s still a win-win for   the consumers since they’ll be bombarded with great sales prices considering the current worldwide economy right now.

Here in Canada,there’ll be Black Friday sales too but only because Canadian retailers don’t want us Canucks to go south for early X’mas shopping. Hmmm…there’s always online shopping with free shipping to boot. With the price of gas nowadays, it’s very important to take note of this.

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends as well as happy shopping too!

Josie

Christmas Stuff and Mindset Is Around Earlier These Days–Right After Labor Day and Hereon

I noticed this as far back as 2 years ago when Christmas stuff(decorations,wrapping paper,cards,etc) have started appearing as early as September. Even the local Hallmark card shop has been selling Christmas tree ornaments as early as July every year since God knows when.(Definitely more than 2 years ago).

They’re around already before Canadian Thanksgiving, Halloween,Remembrance Day ,Rosh Hashanah,Hanukkah but NOT before Labor Day(the unofficial end of summer). It’s almost like you have to have a flexible mindset when you go into a store and see them around and tell yourself, it’s not that time yet to celebrate.

The economy nowadays isn’t as upbeat for the past 4 years and I couldn’t blame the stores for being so preoccupied with Yuletide  profits since it comprises 25% of their annual profit. Without it, they’ll have to close shop. They’re so eager to get your money that they’ll  try to entice you with all sorts of sales whether instore or online until the after-Christmas Day sale. Here in Canada,we call it Boxing Day–Dec. 26), a British traditon wherein the masters reward their servants  with boxes of gifts after Christmas Day.

Last year, many Canadian stores even have a Black Friday,same day as the Americans have after  the U.S. Thanksgiving as the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season. Reason for such opening is that the Canadian retailers want to keep their fellow  bargainhunting Canucks from doing crossborder shopping  in the U.S. whether traveling down there or going online with free shipping to boot. I wouldn’t be surprised if this happens again this year, mon ami.

That’s our new reality as far as Christmas shopping is concerned.

Enjoy it anyway. We’re the ones to gain with getting the best prices for the things that we want to buy.

Happy shopping!

Josie