Shoppers think outside the box
There are a number of items on sale that you might not have considered purchasing
Sure, Black Friday is a good time to pick up those wireless speakers or upgrade your smartphone, but it’s also a good time to find deals on items you might not have considered shopping for. Like vacuum cleaners, gas fireplaces and Lego.
While electronics remain one of the most popular items, along with clothing and accessories, Black Friday is an ideal time to buy kitchen appliances, according to Monika Hajzokova, Canadian sales director with Shopbot, which has an inventory of six million items from more than 400 retailers and brands.
“Kitchen appliances is one of our biggest categories,” she says. “The top searched item is the KitchenAid mixer, especially in the red colour.” That’s expected to be a popular item again this year; other kitchen appliances up for grabs at deep discounts are waffle makers and ice cream makers.
“Keurig (coffee) brewing systems always have good deals on Black Friday,” says Sari Friedman, marketing director and resident shopping expert with Ebates Canada. “It’s a great time to stock up on coffee, such as Keurig and espresso pods. The Bay always has great deals on espresso pods.”
And it’s not just appliances for the kitchen: most major big-box retailers are offering discounts on small appliances such as vacuum cleaners and robotic vacuums. For those wanting to invest in a heavyduty vacuum, such as a Dyson, Black Friday is the time to do it.
Shopbot has also historically seen a spike in sales of fireplaces (gas or ethanolpowered) over Black Friday. And, as bizarre as it sounds, it has also seen a spike in plumbing supplies during this time period (perhaps, like fireplaces, it’s a signal that shoppers are prepping for winter).
As the temperatures plummet, shoppers aren’t just thinking about fireplaces and freezing pipes. They’re thinking about how they can escape winter — and travel is another category where they can find Black Friday deals. Several online travel consolidators and travel agencies are offering discounts on vacation packages, as well as rebates or gift cards with their purchase (to be used for future travel, though there’s typically an expiry date). Friedman recommends thinking beyond TVs and computers and considering options such as smart-home hubs and smart thermostats.
Big-box retailers are offering discounts on Nest smart-home products over Black Friday, she says, and Enbridge customers can then receive a $100 bill credit for their purchase — a double win for shoppers.
While clothing and accessories remain popular, Black Fri- day is a good time to look for deals on designer items. Many luxury retailers run site-wide sales or offer deeper discounts on certain categories, Friedman says. This year, in particular, should be interesting, with high-end U.S. retailers such as Saks and Nordstrom now open in Canada, bringing their Black Friday traditions with them.
Black Friday also kicks off the holiday shopping season, so it’s an ideal time to shop for others. Half of Canadians feel the deals that retailers offer specifically for Black Friday and Boxing Day are better than those offered in general during the holidays, according to new poll data from Ebates, which surveyed 1,000 Canadians during October.
“Canadians are planning to spend $200 more on their holiday shopping this year than last year,” Friedman says. “It’s a good time to not just think about yourself but crossing off things on your list: toys, books, beauty.”
When it comes to gift giving, there are plenty of deals to be had on women’s perfume, according to Shopbot. It’s also a good time to pick up toys, such as Lego, or soon-to-be discontinued toy lines. Red Flag Deals predicts that toys from Star Wars: The Force Awakens may be discounted this year, to make room for the hype train of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Shopbot has found that Quebec has different shopping behaviours on Black Friday than the rest of Canada. While electronics and clothing are still popular items, the top-searched items fall under the home decor category — in particular, blankets, quilts and duvets.
While the rest of the country may want to consider checking out the deals to be had on home decor, some shoppers are considering much larger appliances — such as mattresses, dishwashers and couches — that they’d traditionally buy during Boxing week.
“Furniture stores tend to offer some good discounts, but not as much as fashion and appliances,” says Hajzokova.
The take away from all this? Shoppers should not limit themselves to clothing and electronics; consider holiday gifts, as well as household or winter necessities. An added bonus to thinking outside the Black Friday box: You probably won’t have to wrestle a mob of shoppers to get that ethanol-fuelled fireplace.