Blowout bust? Retailers prepare for Black Friday

Windsor, Ont. -

When it comes to holiday shopping, consumers are no strangers to the mantra “the early bird gets the worm.”

However, this year there may not be a feeding frenzy.

A launching pad for holiday shoppers, Black Friday may look and feel a little different this year.

“I will not be surprised if there’s going to be a somewhat calmer Black Friday than typical,” says Opher Baron, professor at the University of Toronto.

Black Friday was becoming one of the busiest shopping days of the year, but the blowouts could be a bust this time around, in large part due to ripple effects of COVID-19.

“Maybe retailers have a little bit less inventory buildup so they may be a little more gentle in the discounts they’re giving now,” says Baron.

Thanks to ongoing global supply chain issues, Baron says Black Friday could be slow, but steady in 2021.

“I think that the smaller dealers will also try to balance things, get the inventory they have on the shelf out of the store.”

The federal government reopening land borders for fully vaccinated Canadians could hurt local retailers as customers look stateside for deals.

“It may not have as much of a significant impact on Black Friday for Canadian shoppers,” says Chris Savard, associate director at Cushman and Wakefield.

Savard says Black Friday at Devonshire Mall won’t be a one day event this year.

“Instead of having the door crashes and trying to cram everybody in on the same day, it really becomes a three day shopping event.”

Savard hopes Black Friday will lead into a busy Boxing Day, as the annual shopping event was cancelled last year, due to COVID-19 lockdowns.