Black Friday subdued at physical stores amid pandemic

Staggered early promotions, online sales and health threat keep shoppers at home

Would-be Black Friday shoppers appear to have heeded public health warnings, with little crowding at stores across the country against a backdrop of rising COVID-19 cases.

Many brick-and-mortar stores were deserted compared with the usual crowds and fanfare of the one-day sales bonanza that traditionally launches the holiday shopping season.

Some stores had short lineups when they opened, but most remained under capacity limits throughout the morning.

Discounted big ticket items at big-box stores — often among the first products to sell out on Black Friday — were still well-stocked in many locations by midday.

It's a sign that staggered Black Friday promotions, which many retailers began rolling out as early as October, as well as the push to offer more sales online has helped curb in-store shopping.

Still, some consumers across the country opted to shop in brick-and-mortar stores.

In Halifax, Daniel Smith said he decided to check out the sales at a local Walmart and was surprised to find no lineup outside and very few people in the aisles.

“I can't believe there aren't more people here, it's reassuring,” he said, though he added that the retail event is usually “tame” compared to the United States.

Smith's shopping cart was filled with toys, like L.O.L. Surprise balls and a Rainbocorns slime milkshake.

“It's a good time to get Christmas presents,” he said. “There were some good deals and I've got a bunch of nieces and nephews to buy for.”

Parts of Western Canada also saw some shoppers out and about, but fewer than in previous years.

Ten minutes before a Best Buy store in northwest Calgary was set to open, there was nobody in line.

When the store opened, about 25 customers, socially distanced, were lined up waiting to get in. A sign on the door announced a limit of 164 customers and a digital check-in where people would be texted when there was space for them to shop.

“It's a smaller crowd than I was expecting,” said Dean Rawley, who was planning to use a gift card to take advantage of the Black Friday deals.

Even with a surge in COVID-19 cases and new restrictions imposed on numbers entering businesses, Rawley wasn't concerned about venturing out.

“Not particularly. I'm not too worried about it,” he said. “If something happens. It happens.”

In Manitoba, the province urged people to stay home and shop online, saying that provincial workers will be “out in full force on Black Friday” ensuring public health orders are adhered to.

Retail analysts say the bulk of today's purchases will probably be online.

Eric Morris, head of retail at Google Canada, said e-commerce in Canada has doubled during the pandemic.

He said given ongoing lockdowns and in-store capacity limits, online sales are expected to be strong today and remain heightened over the holiday shopping season.