As the holidays approach, shoppers are out — and sales on Montreal’s Sainte-Catherine Street West are already popping up. The annual shopping event falls on the day after American Thanksgiving. This year, Black Friday will land on Nov. 27. However, what was once a day of discounts has stretched to weeks - in some cases, an entire month. Michel Rochette is the president of the Quebec division of the Retail Council of Canada. He says the change is a product of the cost of living and consumer habits. “Before the pandemic, we already saw some change in the need to buy before Christmas instead of buying after Christmas. Boxing Day [...] is related to buying gifts for ourselves. Now obviously people need to buy before Christmas more than ever,” he explains. Rochette says 45 per cent of consumers now wait for Black Friday discounts to make their purchases. Add trade tensions with the United States, and the retail expert says Canadians have even more reason to shop strategically. “It became a longer period of time because people are searching, buying more in advance, planning more in advance,” Rochette tells CTV. Electronics, clothing and toys remain among the best Black Friday sellers, according to the Retail Council of Canada.
