Black Friday continues march into Canada

A shopper rests herself and her bags in New York during the busiest shopping day of the year in this Nov. 25, 2011. (AP / John Minchillo)

Canada may not share Thanksgiving Thursday with the United States, but more and more businesses this side of the border are hopping on the Black Friday shopping phenomenon.

The frenzy around the day the holiday shopping kicks into high gear has leaked north, with many Canadian retailers announcing Black Friday sales for the first time.

“If you’re actually looking at the pricing, it was virtually the same (when you cross the border) as in Canada,” said Scott Miller of The Source at Place d’Orleans.

“I don’t know why somebody would want to spend all that money in gas to drive down and pay the exact same.”

“Why not spend the money here in Canada and support our Canadian stores?” said Bogdan Nechita, manager of a Black’s location. “I’m hoping to see an increase in our customers.”

Some shoppers said it was about time they had the choice.

“I think it’s great,” said one female shopper. “It’s about time we start having sales here instead of having to drive across to the States.”

“It’s just more convenient to shop . . . in town, for me,” said Paulina Zito. “I wouldn’t line up for days but if I’m there and there’s a good deal, I’m going to get it.”

Others said they aren’t swayed.

“Not really, just because everything is so much cheaper down there,” said Mindy Markell.

“There’s more variety of things, just more styles, more selection.”

Retailers said they were putting out their promotions to try and draw consumers in.

“We did a little bit of a promo around the last year, but this year is going to be awesome,” said Marilyn Weir, owner of Emil of Switzerland at Place D’Orleans.

“For Black Friday we’ll be offering free eyebrow waxing from 8 a.m. until (noon).”

“We’re super excited because customers can come in and shop in our store between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday, they can take their receipt to the customer service location and get their tax back in a gift card,” said Reitman’s manager Jessica Fenton.

A few days after Black Friday comes Cyber Monday, one of the biggest online shopping days of the year.

A new study from Robert Half Technology shows more companies are becoming less restrictive when it comes to online shopping at work.

With a report from CTV Ottawa’s Katie Griffin