Black Friday began as a day for frenzied buying for Americans the day after Thanksgiving, and now Canadians have embraced the event as a way to begin holiday shopping and save money on expensive items.
An estimated 9.6 million people will be shopping on Black Friday this year. Last year, according to blackfriday.com, more than $14 billion was spent on Black Friday.
“I go Black Friday shopping every year,” said Mahek Khan, a paralegal education student at Humber College. “This year I will be looking for sales to save money on expensive athletic wear such as GymShark, and Aeerie.”
Shoppers are particularly drawn to electronics, home appliances and clothing to save as much money as possible on expensive purchases.
This year, most major retailers will be offering deals ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday — the Monday online shopping day following American Thanksgiving — to avoid shipping delays and stock issues. This will also ensure not as many people will be shopping on Black Friday because the deals are being held on more than one day.
Black Friday can be stressful for businesses and their workers. Retail worker Rebecca Berndt will be experiencing this firsthand on Friday.
“Black Friday is always chaotic,” said Berndt, of Hugo Boss Toronto Premium Outlets. “It will be especially crazy this year because we have sales up to 50 per cent off.”
Many Black Friday shoppers are also looking to buy electronics.
“People are looking to buy pretty much anything because of our sales,” said Carreras Lorenzo, co-coordinator and head merchandiser of The Source. “The Beats are definitely a hot item right now because they are regularly $350 and they are being sold for $100.”
There are higher risks of incidents, accidents and injuries during this time as people are determined to get the items they want.