For years, Americans have been enjoying great deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Canadians have recently become increasingly aware of the great savings and joined the party.
Black Friday takes place every year on the Friday following American Thanksgiving (which takes place on the fourth Thursday in November). Black Friday officially kicks off the Christmas shopping season, is the busiest shopping day of the year and is marked by deep discounts on just about everything. Many retailers promote Black Friday deals weeks in advance and open their doors in the early hours of the morning to greet shoppers who have already lined up around the block.
In 2005, the term Cyber Monday was introduced to refer to the Monday following Black Friday. The term originated to describe American bargain hunters who flocked to the Internet in search of online deals if they were unable to shop over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Canadians who want to take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales can do so in two ways: travel to the U.S. to shop or shop online at U.S. retailer’s websites.
If you’re planning on heading down to the U.S. on Black Friday to shop in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Seattle, Bellingham, Detroit, Grand Forks, Plattsburgh, Watertown or any other U.S. city near the Canadian border, make sure you plan accordingly. You can expect long waits when crossing the border, particularly if you wait until the last minute to head south. You may want to consider making an overnight stay at a hotel in your destination city on Wednesday evening to avoid fighting traffic on Thursday night or Friday morning.
In addition, make sure you do your research prior to heading south of the border. U.S. retailers will often publicize their deals in advance of Black Friday, and many of them will start offering deals days or weeks ahead of time. You can check individual U.S. retailer websites for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals or search our latest deals and coupons for a consolidated list of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals in U.S. cities near the Canadian border and on U.S. retailer websites.