Shoppers set an early alarm and streamed into Polo Park and other malls across Winnipeg to take part in Black Friday shopping.
CF Polo Park Shopping Centre General Manager Peter Havens says Black Friday is the mall’s second biggest shopping day of the year behind only Boxing Day.
The American-born shopping day became big in Canada several years ago, when Canadian retailers looked to keep eager shoppers at home. Havens says they welcomed 82,000 people through the doors in 2016.
RELATED: Winnipeg malls expecting big business on Black Friday
But some marketing experts say Canadians interest in the day has hit a wall.
“Shoppers know they can get better deals online throughout the year,” said marketing instructor/economist Rob Warren.
“A lot of retailers now have an online presence, so (shoppers) can sit at home in their jammies and do it that way,” Warren said.
And those flocking across the border are putting on the brakes.
“The value of the Canadian dollar has fallen to the point where it’s really not as economical for Canadians to go south of the line,” Warren said.
Many retailers choose to extend their Black Friday sales and even started earlier in the week, making Friday less authentic.
“A lot of stores started their Black Friday sales back on Monday and you’ll even see a Black Friday sale in the middle of summer,” said Havens.
But he expects customer numbers in 2017 to be on par or higher than in previous years. So does Kildonan Place Marketing Manager Corey Quintaine, who told Global News Friday afternoon the number of shoppers that had hit the mall during the morning was well beyond what they saw last year.
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