Almost half of Canadians plan on taking advantage of Black Friday shopping this year, according to a recent survey from the Retail Council of Canada.
While the annual weekend of shopping is rooted in the U.S., Canadians are cashing in more and more every year.
“We really borrowed this idea of Black Friday from the U.S. It was always related to their Thanksgiving—they would have an extra day around the weekend for shopping,” said Robert Levy of Shopperarmy.ca.
“And while it’s not linked to our Thanksgiving, Canadians began shopping in the U.S. for Black Friday deals because they were so appealing, even with the exchange rate.”
Canadians love Cyber Monday even more.
“Black Friday used to be people running into the malls at 3 a.m. and crashing into a store,” Levy continued. “Now with Cyber Monday you don’t have to. As a four-day event, it gives consumers another chance in case they missed a Black Friday deal.”
If you’re planning on shopping for the best deals before the holiday season, here are a few tips to remember.
STRETCH YOUR DOLLAR
Maximize your dollars by turning to sites like www.Shopperarmy.ca, which lets you shop at over 100 of your favourite retailers and gives you cash back rebates in return for going through the site. “A generous amount of the commissions paid by the retailers go back to the consumer in form of cash back,” said Levy.
Better yet, Levy has a way to make those dollars go even further. “Do a double dip in which you take advantage of coupons. So getting cash back is single dip. Using coupons or sale prices on top of that cash back is the double dip,” he said.
“And if you use a credit card with points back, you get a triple dip.”
In order to hit the ground running on Black Friday weekend, Levy also suggests setting up your free membership to Shopper Army ahead of time. Poking around the site will allow you to check out current deals, promotions and customized shopping guides and more.
Shopper Army also has a Black Friday & Cyber Monday shopping guide which will feature the best deals to take advantage of (with cash back of course!). Click here to see their full list of the best deals.
TRACK YOUR DEALS
Start by making a list and checking it twice, especially for holiday gift-giving season.
“Research is key in getting a good deal,” said Marc Saltzman, a Toronto-based tech expert.
“Don’t wait until the last minute. And make sure you go to your favourite online retailers to see who’s got the best deals. Some sites will let you cross reference deals.”
Saltzman adds that in the world of tech, expect to see deals on televisions, smart home gear, tablets, video game consoles, smart speakers and smart displays.
Doing your research also means looking through product reviews.
“Not just reviews from critics but also from customers who’ve spent their own money to buy that product,” he said.
Also, keep in mind the company’s return policy or price match policy. “If a retailer has a price matching policy in place, they should honour better prices/deals for the same product advertised at other retailers,” Saltzman explained.
PRACTICE SAFE SHOPPING
“Make sure to not use a public free wifi hotspot because you’re more at risk to cyberthieves when you’re cyber shopping,” Saltzman added. “Use a VPN (a virtual private network) which is a free piece of software that will mask your online identity.”
Better yet, shop via your own phone or in the privacy of your own home, he said.
“And when looking around online, look for that little padlock in your browser which ensures it’s a legitimate site and that it’s an encrypted connection which means there’s a digital handshake between your device and the store.”
The best Black Friday/Cyber Monday Shopper Army deals
Here are 20 great Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals highlighted by ShopperArmy.ca and some exclusive promo codes you can take advantage of.
Spend $35 & SAVE $10 On Your Beauty & Baby Care Essentials This Black Friday & Cyber Monday *Deal only available November 22nd to December 6th,2019. Offer only applies to products shipped and sold on Amazon.ca. Plus up to 8% Shopper Army Cash Back.
Get 20% off Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Face Cream 47mL *Deal only available November 28th to December 3rd,2019. Offer only applies to products shipped and sold on Amazon.ca. Plus 8% Shopper Army Cash Back.
20% off Maybelline New York Fit Me Matte Plus Poreless Foundation Makeup (from November 28th to December 2nd). Plus 8% Shopper Army Cash Back.
30% off essie Celebrating Moments Nail Polish on Black Friday, valid until 11/29. Plus 8% Shopper Army Cash Back.
Get the Amazon Echo Show 5 for just 64.99 (Save $35), valid until 12/05/2019. Plus 3% Shopper Army Cash Back.
Save $200 on the Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead Vacuum (Regular $599, on Sale for $399) at Dyson.com. Plus 5% Shopper Army Cash Back.
50% Off Everything at The Gap with Code BLKFRIDAY + Extra 10% Off Everything with Code BESTEVER. Restrictions Apply. Ends 11/30. Plus 6% Shopper Army Cash Back.
15% off Regular Priced Items with Code: GIVE15 (Friday – Sunday) at Indigo.ca. Plus 8% Shopper Army Cash Back.
Save up to 80% at Wayfair.ca Free shipping on everything. (Valid until 12/2 @ 12 am). Plus 4% Shopper Army Cash Back.
Get up to 60% off Herschel Supply Co. Black Friday Sale ends November 29th, 2019. Plus 9% Shopper Army Cash Back.
Great Savings on Select Samsung 4K UHD TVs at Amazon.ca (Valid until 11/29). Plus 3% Shopper Army Cash Back.
Get up to 50% off a new product every day at Sephora! Exclusions Apply (Valid until 12/2). Plus 4% Shopper Army Cash Back.
Save up to 50% on select small appliances at Best Buy (Valid 11/28 @ 12am – 12/5 @ 11:59pm PST). Plus 1% Shopper Army Cash Back.
Booking.com offers 40% off select stays worldwide until December 2 (Stay dates between November 27th – March 31st). Plus 3% Shopper Army Cash Back.
The Source Black Friday SALE. SAVE up to 50% at The Source.ca! Black Friday is officially on–don’t miss their incredible offers on top-brand tech! Valid 11/28-12/1. Plus up to 4% Shopper Army Cash Back.
Linen Chest Black Friday Promo: Reduced Prices, 30% Off Bedding + Extra 20% on Almost Everything Else only at LinenChest.com! (valid 11/28-12/1). Plus up to 2% Shopper Army Cash Back.
Adidas Black Friday Sale! Enjoy 40% OFF Site Wide at Adidas Canada! No code needed at checkout (valid 11/28 at 12AM – 11/29 at 11:59PM EST, cannot be combined). Plus 4% Shopper Army Cash Back.
Club Monaco Black Friday Event: Get 30% Off at Club Monaco with code: BLACKFRIDAY. Valid 11/25/2019-11/30/2019. Plus 4% Shopper Army Cash Back.
ALDO’s Black Friday Sale! 50% Off Sale, 20% Off Regular Price (11/27/19 @ 7pm EST – 12/01/19 @ 4:45pm EST) Plus 6% Shopper Army Cash Back.
UP TO 75% OFF LUGGAGE at The Bay, Select collections by SWISS WENGER, DELSEY, WESTJET, RICARDO BEVERLY HILLS, TRAVELPRO, HEYS, SAMSONITE and AIR CANADA valid 11/29 – 12/5. Plus 3% Shopper Army Cash Back.
For more Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, and to earn the highest cash back on everything you buy, visit ShopperArmy.ca and remember to check out their Black Friday/Cyber Monday Shopping Guide at ShopperArmy.ca/BlackFriday