November overtakes December as Canada's busiest shopping month
November has overtaken December as the busiest shopping month for Canadian consumers, according to the Retail Council of Canada (RCC).
Boxing Day was once Canada’s busiest shopping day of the year, but the popularity of Black Friday and Cyber Monday have made them top days for consumers to open their wallets.
"Based on Moneris’ predictive data we are expecting to see Black Friday as the reigning champion of the busiest day of the year and that's in transactions and dollar amount," David Litwin, spokesperson for Moneris Canada, told CTV News Toronto Thursday.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are shopping traditions that started in the United States. Canadians have adopted the event with enthusiasm over the past decade.
The RCC agrees that Black Friday is now the busiest shopping day of the year for Canadians and that it is really the kickoff to the Canadian holiday shopping season as well.
“It's really a week-long event, it's not really just Black Friday or Cyber Monday, it's really a week-long showcase event that continues throughout the holiday season,” Michelle Wasylyshen, with RCC, told CTV News Toronto in an interview.
New data also shows Canadians are shopping earlier than ever and that November has now overtaken December as the busiest shopping month of the year.
“We are seeing that most consumers don’t want to shop a few days before Christmas and they want to avoid the hectic rush, so November does now seem to be the busiest time when people are getting their shopping done,” Wasylyshen said.
A survey by Google Canada found that 72 per cent of shoppers are concerned about the rising costs of items. Sixty per cent said they plan to buy less due to inflation and 85 per cent plan to shop at stores offering discounts.
RCC believes even though Canadians are more money conscious heading into this holiday season, it will still be a good season for retailers.
"Although consumers are understandably concerned about inflation and their finances, they are still really looking forward to celebrating the holiday shopping season," Wasylyshen said.
While Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year for combined online and in-store sales, Moneris said that Cyber Monday is the busiest day for total online sales.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.