Black Friday moving from single day to multi-week mark-downs

At 8 a.m. Friday, the doors of Best Buy in Dartmouth, N.S., opened and shoppers poured in.

“I came here at 5:30 a.m.,” said one shopper.

Across the street at Walmart, Kelly MacKay and Shelley Bonang arrived before sun up. It's their yearly “shop-until-you-drop” Black Friday strategy.

“We get up early and hit the sales in the stores,” said Bonang, who shopped on a day that saw parking lots jammed but malls and stores not necessarily crammed. “I was talking to an associate at Walmart and she said they spread their Black Friday shopping over three weeks."

Black Friday appears to be moving from a single day into a multi-week mark-down season.

"We have shifted dramatically to be able to respond to custom needs and orders, and wherever customers choose to shop," said Best Buy supervisor Dean Mason.

Payment processing company Moneris predicted a 9.5 per cent national spending increase this holiday season, compared to 2021.

"As we continue to recover from the pandemic, I think we are seeing an increase in consumer confidence and that will contribute to the spending," said Moneris spokesperson David Litwin.

The reality of inflation has shoppers like Kelly MacKay strategically shopping more for need than just for simple gifting.

According to Litwin, rising prices could actually spark even more shopping.

“With inflationary pressure as well, I can only imagine that will contribute to people’s incentive to go out and shop and take advantage of these deals they are seeing," said Litwin.