#cristmasday2019

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Boxing Day Vs Black Friday

What is Boxing Day? The Black Friday of Christmas Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, is usually the day when sales appear with discounted prices on everything from clothes to holiday themed items. Boxing Day originally began in the United Kingdom and was also known as the Feast of St. Stephen, where people used to open church alms-boxes and give them to the poor. This later turned into the custom of giving Christmas boxes to servants then later to tradesmen, such as postmen and dustmen. In many other countries, Boxing Day vs black Friday is a bank holiday and most offices are closed. Boxing Day is not only a day to exchange or give gifts but also a day to buy more and is seen as a day of sales for retailers.

In the U.S., Boxing Day can be considered as a Black Friday-like event. It’s a great time to buy gifts or furnished goods, as sales are rampant. An article in USA Today looked towards The International Council of Shopping Centers, which reported that retail sales for the week ending Dec. 22 were up at 0.7%. It was reported that the ICSC estimate is in contrast to the increase MasterCard Advisors said it saw in the months leading up to Christmas. MasterCards estimates is for sales using cash, check and all credit cards in categories such as luxury goods, clothing, electronics, and furnishings along with online sales.  

Last year, MasterCard estimate were up by 2%, though there was little worry as the week after Christmas accounts for about 15% of holiday sales. For this year, there is little doubt that few people will take advantage of the sales, whether it be online or in store.

With Christmas over, the post-holiday sales have already begun. In the UK, shoppers have been flocking to malls and stores to get the best deals. As reported in The Independent, UK shopping sales were forecasted at an alltime high. In the U.S., the post-holiday sales are expected to rise following a meager start brought on by Hurricane Sandy and fiscal cliff concerns.

The National Retail Federation is expecting that holiday sales will increase by 4.1% to $586 billion compared to last year, which is certainly a high point.

Black Friday 2019

There was a not-so-distant time when the best Black Friday deals could only be found in stores. Thankfully for those of us who can’t take the crowds, more and more retailers have begun offering serious discounts online, too, so you don’t have to wait until Cyber Monday to shop. To make things as seamless as possible, the Mic editors will be doing all the legwork for you and curating the top deals here. Until then, keep scrolling for answers to some of the most common Black Friday-related questions, as well as some solid deals that are going on right now.

When is Black Friday? Black Friday 2019 will be falling unusually late in the month, on Friday, November 29. With its proximity to the holidays, this makes it an especially good opportunity to finish all your holiday shopping early on the cheap (or to gift yourself a gadget or two — we’re not here to judge).

When was the first Black Friday? There are a lot of misunderstandings and myths about the origins of Black Friday. While it originally had a less pleasant association, it was during the 1980s when Black Friday began to evolve into the shopping event we all know it as today. The term “Black Friday” has come to represent the idea of retailers going from being in the red for the year to being in the black (and also when consumers get a lot of their holiday shopping accomplished).

Where are the best places to shop on Black Friday? When it comes to Black Friday deals, some of the biggest players include Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and Costco. Whether you’re looking to shop in person or at home in your pajamas, chances are most of your favorite retailers will have something for you. But to save you the trouble of having to click around aimlessly the day-of, we’ll be using this digital space to curate all the most impressive deals.

What time does Black Friday start? In-store doorbuster sales typically start as early as Thanksgiving night. Last year, Walmart opened its doors at 6 p.m., while Target and Best Buy opened at 5 p.m., which means the most dedicated shoppers were lining up outside even earlier than that. Online sales work a little differently, depending on the retailer. Some brands roll out deals that last all week leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, while others run a rotation of sales that go all month long (which is how this month has come to be known by some as “Gray November”). This means that whether you’re looking to snag a new laptop, a Nintendo Switch, or any of the latest Apple products, you can still get some serious shopping done from the comfort of your crowd-free home.

When do Black Friday Ads come out? Participating retailers have already begun to release Black Friday ads, and some have even gone so far as to debut some sales. Costco released its Black Friday ads for 2019, revealing over 30 pages of ongoing deals that will be kicking off on November 7. Target’s Black Friday deals have yet to be unveiled, but you can sign up to with the retailer to stay in-the-know. And we’re still waiting for Walmart’s ads, too, but in the meantime, you can sign up for their Early Access email program to stay up-to-date on deals. If the best in tech is what you’re looking for, you’ll definitely want to keep an eye out for when the Best Buy Black Friday ads debut — while the retailer hasn’t released any info just yet, it’s already talking up a big game about outdoing last year’s offerings.

What are the best things to buy on Black Friday? While you can find discounts on products in a wide variety of categories, Black Friday is the perfect time to get unbeatable deals on the latest tech products — especially if they’re normally out of your budget at full price.

Amazon has already introduced some worthy sales, including many deals of the day and lightning deals. Year-round, the mega-retailer is a good place to find everything from a pair of wrinkle-free dress pants to one of the best tablets with a stylus, and while some critics were disappointed in its Black Friday offerings last year, we have high hopes that Amazon will step it up this year. And whether it’s Black Friday or Prime Day, it’s usually a safe bet that Amazon will offer deep discounts on its own devices, like the Echo Show 5, which is currently on sale for 33% off, and the Fire TV Stick 4K, which is currently 20% off.

Black Friday becoming the new Boxing Day A new survey released Tuesday by Leger for the Retail Council of Canada — its second annual Holiday Shopping Survey — underlines the changing dynamics of retailing, but also shows that shoppers still want to go to the stores in person.

It shows Canadian consumers are all in on Black Friday (more Canadians intend to take advantage of bargains that day compared to the other shopping event days) and more people are shopping on-line.

The survey underlines a lot of things that retailers will not be surprised about especially when it comes to the Manitoba content — Manitobans intend to spend below the national average, we love deals and are more prepared than anyone else in the country to wait in line for them.

Reading between the lines, it also shows that bricks and mortar retailing has plenty of legs left in it.

"The retail brick-and-mortar apocalypse is a myth, but the fact that retail is transforming is not," said Michael Leblanc, senior retail advisor at the Retail Council of Canada (RCC).

He said what retailers might take away from the survey is that they can see a growing recognition of the importance of having a store that integrates multiple behaviours that consumer are engaged in.

"There is more e-commerce but e-commerce needs to be part of the store," Leblanc said. "What retailers are recognizing and building towards is not store channel vs on-line vs mobile. They see that it is important that they understand how best to serve the customer in whatever way they want to shop."

The survey shows that 72 per cent of Canadians still intend to spend the largest portion of their Christmas shopping budget in-store, but that number has decreased slightly from the year before. And those saying they will spend more on-line — 20 per cent this year — is more than it was last year.

"Retailers are all trying to figure out how the nature of retail is changing... on-line, off-line, mobile, event days themselves," Leblanc said. "The survey helps them understand what motivates people, what they are thinking about when they shop, what sort of things are they looking at."

The survey asked 2,500-plus people (just six per cent of them were from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, which skews the survey's results) about their attitudes and intended behaviours regarding the upcoming 2019 holiday shopping season.

Manitoba and Saskatchewan residents plan to spend $588 this holiday season, significantly below the national average of $792. In comparison, Ontarians plan to spend $1,058 while Quebeckers plan to spend $503.

Just as was the case last year, Black Friday (which falls on Nov. 29 this year) has unseated Boxing Day as the day shoppers most intend to look for sales — 43 per cent on Black Friday compared to 34 per cent on Boxing Day.

Leblanc said that 10 years ago Black Friday was just starting to catch on in Canada. Now Canadian retailers are planning for it all year.

And when it comes to shoppers' dedication to a deal, Manitoba and Saskatchewan are more committed than the rest of the country. The survey found that more people in the Prairies are willing to line up early on Black Friday, Boxing Day or Cyber Monday than anywhere else in the country (23 per cent vs. 17 per cent nationally).

But even though the day after American Thanksgiving has now usurped Boxing Day as Canadians' favourite shopping day it's not to say retailing in Canada has become Americanized.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the day’s breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. The survey also found that a strong majority of Canadians (85 per cent) still agree that it’s important to buy from a retailer within Canada during the upcoming holiday shopping season.

Leblanc thinks it's not just about "buying Canadian".

"We know that consumers, for practical reasons and for other reasons, continue to want to spend their money here in their own back yard," he said. "I also think a contributing factor is that the retailers here are just as savvy and bring on great offers and great value."

People used to stream across the border in days gone by, looking for brands they just could not find in Canada. But that is less the case now.

"Something like 50 international retail brands have launched in Canada in just the last 18-to-24 months," said Leblanc. "Between that and ecommerce there is not much that you need to go outside Canada to shop for that you can’t find here."

Black Friday More Popular Than Boxing Day in Canada Boxing Day is losing its lustre with Canadian shoppers. Black Friday is now the day that Canadians turn to when shopping for deals.

According to a survey from the Retail Council of Canada, 43 percent of Canadians plan to take in Black Friday festivities this year and half (50 percent) will shop in-store. In comparison, 34 percent of shoppers plan to take advantage of Boxing Day deals and 61 percent plan to make the trek to the mall rather than go online. Door Crasher Deals Are Good, Parking Lot Crashes Are Not You may be all set to save but are you ready for the parking lot chaos that comes with Black Friday shopping? As retailers get ready for the crowds to kick off the holiday shopping season, make sure you lessen the chance of a parking lot accident or theft claim with these Black Friday parking lot tips:

Chances are slim that you’ll get a parking spot near the main mall entrance. Instead of circling around, seek out a spot further away or near a secondary entrance where parking spots may be easier to find. When looking for a spot, minimize the number of left turns you take. If you have the option, turn right to save time and minimize congestion. Use your turn signal indicator as you navigate your way around the parking lot. Drive slowly and be on the lookout for pedestrians eager to get to the sales or loaded down with parcels. Where possible, back into the parking space. That way, when it’s time to leave you can drive out with ease. Park in a well-lit area and make sure your doors are locked before you head inside. When heading back into the mall after dropping off your purchases, take a few moments to make sure nobody is watching. If necessary, move your car to a different location. Place purchases in the trunk so they are not easily visible to thieves. After a successful day of shopping, remember to turn your headlights on when you go to leave.

Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday: What's the difference? One is all about retail stores, the other is all online -- right? Actually, there's more to it than that.

It's beginning to look a lot like fall, and that means we're coming up on three big American holidays: Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You don't need me to tell you what Turkey Day's all about (duh: turkey), but maybe you have some questions about those other occasions? Because, seriously, what's the deal with Black Friday and Cyber Monday? They're just big sales that bookend the holiday weekend, right?

Actually, there's a bit more to the story.

When did Black Friday start? Black Friday's origins are a bit nebulous, with a fairly apocryphal theory the most widely believed: Because the day after Thanksgiving was typically a day off, it allowed Christmas shoppers to get a jump-start on their gift buying. Retail stores took advantage of this opportunity by holding major sales, which in turn helped them tip their annual sales numbers into "the black" (meaning out of "the red," which is accounting parlance for losing money). It certainly sounds plausible enough.

But the real story is a bit different. According to History.com, the Philadelphia police force used the term "Black Friday" in response to the chaotic traffic caused not by big sales, but by massive attendance for the Army-Navy football game held annually on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. (Apparently everyone came to town a day early.) It was only in the 1980s that retailers began to truly embrace the day for sale purposes.

This year, Black Friday is on Nov. 29 -- but deals can be found sooner than that.  

When did Cyber Monday start? It's hard to believe, but Cyber Monday dates back to just 2005. Back then, before it was natural to order anything and everything online, shoppers still needed encouragement. Online stores began running their own big sales to compete with the brick-and-mortar juggernaut that was Black Friday.

Why "Cyber Monday"? Because in the old days, the internet was often referred to as "cyberspace." Quaint, no?

Why Monday and not Saturday? Because it turns out people like to shop while they're at the office, using fast computers and high-speed connections. (Remember, once upon a time, most people had only dial-up modems at home.) In the early days of online shopping, Monday proved a lucrative day for online stores -- so they embraced it.