Tuesday, November 26, 2013 Surrey/North Delta Leader 1
WHY WAIT?
Line-ups at Canada-U.S. border crossings can be long, especially on holidays. Nov. 29 is ‘Black Friday’ in the United States – the first Friday following the American Thanksgiving Day holiday – and is considered the unofficial launch of the Christmas shopping season. But travellers north of the border can likely expect long waits should they choose to head south to shop.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Retailers are rallying to keep Black Friday shoppers at home Local businesses encourage consumers to spend their cash in Canada by Greg Laychak
T
he name might lack colour, but as Black Friday approaches, retailers will be pulling out all shades of promotional glitz as they vie for consumer attention. Black Friday is the Friday following the Thanksgiving Day holiday in the U.S., and it is regarded as the unofficial kick-off to the holiday shopping season. Traditionally, eager Canadian shoppers have pre-
pared for long waits at the border seeking cheap U.S. Black Friday sale after getting positive response last deals in preparation for Christmas. year. He says people remembered the sale and have been asking about it again. This annual exodus of Canadian patrons Following up on that success, Wagner is and their money means a significant dip in sales for businesses north of the parallel, promoting his deals more this year, hoping with this Nov. 29 being no exception. the event will help drive more customers to Soccer West. However, in reaction to the southbound surge, local retailers are increasingly taking But Bob Krider, a professor of marketing at SFU’s Beedie School of Business, says their own measures to keep Canadians shopping at home. merely cutting prices might not necessarily “Ultimately, lowering prices keeps cut it. Tim Wagner “If you’re going to offer big discounts, people here,” says Tim Wagner, owner and operator of Soccer West in White Rock. you’ve got to get an increase in demand to compensate, because otherwise you’re going “It’s pretty hard to get the individual to see the loyalty in keeping your dollars local. Bottom to lose money,” he warns. line, it comes down to what they can save.” See BOARD OF TRADE / Page 4 Wagner will be running the store’s second official
“Ultimately, lowering prices keeps people here.”