“When the Canadian dollar, a few years ago, was at par or even above the value of the U.S. dollar, it made shopping in the States very attractive, so Canadian retailers responded by cutting prices,” Soroka said. “Now the Canadian dollar is not as strong, not as robust, but shoppers still have that expectation, and so long as there’s one retailer who’s prepared to undercut everybody else, you’ll find that the others will follow suit.”
The ability of Canadians to take advantage of sales in the U.S. is also a motivating factor, he said.
“More and more, we’re seeing almost a blurring of these shopping days or events,” Patterson said.
The number of sales days has risen, and instead of there being discounts on a single day, these discount periods have become sales weeks.
“We’re seeing more discounting with retailers. It’s happening more, it’s happening sooner and it’s happening more regularly,” Patterson said.
Quebecers are embracing Black Friday
Forty-three per cent of Quebecers plan to shop on Black Friday, according to a survey commissioned by the Conseil québécois du commerce de détail, up from 29 per cent in 2015.
Léopold Turgeon, the president and CEO of the CQCD, said he estimates that more than half of retailers will offer some discounts as part of the shopping event.
Consumers are now waiting for discounts before buying, he said. Holiday shopping in October is dropping, while it’s increasing in November.
While Turgeon said he’s not sure when exactly Black Friday came to Quebec, it has been growing rapidly over the past five years.