Full parking lots and line-ups could be spotted at malls across the National Capital Region, as Black Friday lured scores of shoppers out to find deals ahead of the holidays. At the Bayshore Shopping Centre, shoppers packed into stores in search of discounts and deals. Shoppers Andrea Nolan and her mother Jo-Anne Nofal spent the day at the Bayshore mall, having arrived bright and early to get their hands on the biggest discounts. “We do this every year, get here at 8:00 a.m. when the doors open because by 1 p.m., the teenagers are here and it gets really crowded,” said Nofal, who considers the shopping day a tradition. The duo kept the gifts they purchased under wraps to not spoil the surprise for the holidays, but they say they did score some discounts. “The best one I think so far was the Bath and Body Works,” said Nofal. “They were really good, they had buy three and get four for free and it’s mix and match.” Nolan says she managed to finish the last of her holiday shopping. “I’m pretty much done. I got everything done today and the rest was gift cards,” said Nolan. There were heavy discounts to be found, including at Old Navy, which had 50 per cent to 60 per cent off some clothes, and Bluenotes, which some items up to 70 per cent off. “Lots of long lines,” said Sarah Hart, who was shopping for her daughter. “In Bluenotes, I was in line just now for about probably 20 to 25 minutes.” At Best Buy in Barrhaven, shoppers were also met with some big sales, including $600 off a Google TV and $300 off a gaming laptop. “It’s up to 50 per cent off and some of the deals might be 70 per cent off,” said Shoaib Saeed, Best Buy Barrhaven store leader. “There are all mixed types like tablets, television, laptops, and I have few TVs on almost 60 per cent off right now.” “Saved about $300 to $400, something like that,” said Sean Lackey, who was shopping with his family. “We did it online and I’m just picking it up, that was convenient and easiest.” Some shoppers are deciding to hold back on spending even with the promise of sales. “I’m going to spend a little less because I think that I can wait until the tough times go by before I splurge on things,” said Hema Karia, who was shopping at Bayshore Mall. For Nolan, who’s been finding sales on Black Friday for years, the day of deals is a staple of the holiday season. “I started going actually in the United States when they had the Black Friday before it came popular here and now I refuse to go to the States,” said Nolan. “But since they’ve started it big in Canada about six years ago, we’ve been doing it every year.”
