'It's not like the old days': How Black Friday has changed in Saskatoon
Black Friday is back and the general manager of Best Buy on Preston Avenue says many things have changed from previous years.
“It’s not like the old days where we open the door and it’s a huge lineup,” Rokhan Sarwar said.
Instead, Sarwar said his store has seen a steady flow of customers throughout the week as Best Buy began offering Black Friday deals late last week.
It’s a trend that’s becoming more common for many stores, especially during COVID-19.
“We want to make sure we keep the safety of our employees and customers top of mind, have that social distancing, but it also alleviates a lot of pressure on our supply chain, you know, that’s been a big concern especially in COVID,” Sarwar said.
Despite being able to hunt for deals all week long, many still chose to come out on the actual day.
Sarah Weikle was at Best Buy with her husband looking for a TV.
“It’s the iconic Black Friday, so you think the deals will be better today maybe,” she told CTV News.
Like many, Weikle said she uses the day to get a head start on Christmas shopping.
“We definitely try to have an idea of what we want for Christmas shopping and then we’ll buy that Black Friday and give it on Christmas and then we feel a lot better about it all,” she said with a laugh.
Nathan Johnson and Natasha Loewen travelled from North Battleford to Saskatoon to get new accessories for their Xbox.
“We’re already in town, so we thought we’d come in and the rush hasn’t been too bad yet, so it’s been nice,” Johnson said.
Loewen added, “We’re looking for accessories that we can’t get in town and we’re having some pretty good luck here so far.”
David Williams, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Saskatchewan, said the move to online shopping has changed the way Black Friday looks.
“A lot of consumers still go to the store having gotten their information online, on mobile devices. Definitely they’re aware of the sales and the flyers, so the two are kind of blurred. Online has made the Black Friday event longer and taken away from the in-store crowd.”
Williams said this year, it may be hard for people to get good deals because of supply chain issues.
“There won’t be the bargains that there traditionally are as it’s more of a retailer’s market and there will be supply issues. The smart shoppers would have shopped early, so there’ll be less surplus stock to turn around and less day-crashers and so, it will have an impact on availability of products.”
As for Sarwar, he said the move from one day of sales to a week-long event has been positive.
“With excitement just for that one day, it was also a high stress environment both for customers and employees because we did have to multitask and help multiple customers at the same time. But, with extended sales, it allows us to serve them and provide quality service.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.