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Mastermind Toys CEO Sarah Jordan says consumers are returning to a more normal pre-pandemic holiday shopping pattern this year. HO/The Canadian Press It’s the most resilient holiday spending category: Toys. But even toy stores are expected to feel the fallout from inflation during the biggest shopping season of the year. “Holiday spending is going to be muted,” retail analyst Bruce Winder said. “But toys are the last thing you cut back on if you have kids. You want something under the tree for them – you just might do it in a more economical way.” While Canadians are expected to rein in their shopping lists this gift-giving season amid rising prices, high interest rates and a grim economic outlook, they still appear willing to open their wallets for toys, experts say. “Toys have been kind of that shining star in Canada,” said Tamara Szames, Canadian retail industry adviser with The NPD Group. “It’s continuing to outperform the rest of the retail industry.” While toy sales may be resi...

People walk through Toronto's Yorkdale Mall in search of Black Friday deals, on Nov. 26, 2021. Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press Annie Titheridge’s plan is to arrive at the mall before it opens, buy gifts for everyone on her list and beat the afternoon rush-hour traffic home. “My husband and daughter think I’m mad going shopping on Black Friday,” said Titheridge, who will drive from King City north of Toronto to the Yorkdale Shopping Centre for the day. “It does get absolutely crowded but I still prefer to shop in stores,” she said. “I prefer to touch and feel products before buying.” The biggest shopping event of the year arrives Friday, a sales bonanza heralded by a flurry of promotional e-mails, online ads and paper flyers. Black Friday has evolved in recent years from a one-day event – when shoppers lined up overnight outside big box stores to snag doorcrasher deals – into an entire season of sales. “It’s less about a single day and more about a prolonged period,” said Eric Mo...

People shop for Black Friday deals in Pico Rivera, Calif., on Nov. 25. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images Cautious shoppers hunted for the best deals at stores and online as retailers offered new Black Friday discounts to entice consumers eager to start buying holiday gifts but weighed down by inflation. Due to elevated prices for food, rent, gasoline and other essentials, many people were being more selective, reluctant to spend unless there was a big sale. Some were dipping more into savings, turning to “buy now, pay later” services that allow payment in installments, or running up their credit cards at a time when the Federal Reserve is hiking rates to cool the U.S. economy. Sheila Diggs, 55, went to a Walmart in Mount Airy, Maryland early Friday looking for a deal on a coffee maker. To save money this year, she said the adults in her family are drawing names and selecting one person to shop for. “Everything’s going up but your paycheck,” said Diggs, who manages medical records at...

Canadian shoppers are out deal-hunting during a muted Black Friday as decades-high inflation weighs on consumers and prompts some to rein in spending. Retailers have stretched deals over several weeks and offered similar discounts online, taking some of the frenzy out of the holiday shopping event. Several big box stores in the Toronto area, such as Best Buy and Walmart, lacked the usual early morning lineups that once epitomized Black Friday. Malls in the area appeared busy around lunchtime, but not swarming with the crowds and queues seen in previous years. Few stores appeared to have lines of waiting customers. “We’re seeing a dilution of Black Friday as a physical shopping event where you go to the store early in the morning,” retail analyst Bruce Winder said Friday. “It’s finally sort of hit that tipping point where it’s much less about the day and it’s more about the shopping period.” Inflation-weary shoppers were expected to turn out in record numbers for deals on Black Friday...

Photo : Kaspars Grinvalds ( Shutterstock ) Ever opened up a package only to find that the sturdy, beautiful item you ordered is tissue-paper-thin, or far larger (or smaller) than it looked online? We have a few tips to help you make sure that what you receive isn’t going to be a disappointment—whether you’re buying it as a gift or for yourself. Look at a lighter color This excellent tip comes from Reddit, where one smart shopper advises that you shop for dark-colored shoes, bags, and clothing by looking at the lighter colorways. Stitching, texture, material, and other details may not always show up well in photos of black, brown, dark gray, or navy items. But if the same backpack, say, is available in a light gray or beige, the photo there may offer more clues about how it’s made. This is where you realize that part of the bag is cloth where you thought it was leather, or that it only has a one-way zipper where you were expecting the kind with two zipper pulls. On clothing, you...

The early results are in for Cyber Week retail sales, and they show the pre-holiday online blitz was a washout with Canadian shoppers – another sign the consumer side of Canada’s economy may be hitting a wall. Online sales in Canada during Cyber Week, a marketing term that refers to the period surrounding U.S. Thanksgiving, dropped 8 per cent from last year and capped a month of disappointing online shopping, according to Salesforce, which specializes in sales management software for retailers. Globally, Cyber Week sales rose 2 per cent to US$281-billion, the firm said, while U.S. shoppers pushed online sales up 9 per cent during the period. A couple of factors could be at play in the weak Canadian results. Cyber Week, like its marketing cousin Black Friday, has been losing some of its lustre, with retailers offering similar deals at other times – often, confusingly, under the same banners. And, as the pandemic has waned, shoppers have abandoned their keyboards for the experience of ...

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. There may still be a prolonged supply chain shortage, but there are plenty of holiday tips and tricks for ecommerce brands to win this time of year. More often than not, most tips floating around tend to focus on different types of acquisition strategies to get consumers to your site. However, I'm here today to offer up one overlooked piece of advice: look to your most loyal customers to reach your goals. Your most loyal customers will be turning to you during the holidays, and you should be doing the same for them as a merchant. Remove any friction while creating new opportunities for your loyal customers to share their favorite products with friends and family. With everyone in the spirit of giving, there is no better time to promote, package and offer products as gifts. A great way to flip your marketing funnel and build from your most loyal customer base, we've seen brands executing this ...

People look through the window of a store in Montreal, on Dec. 26, 2021. Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press Stores in Canada are gearing up for Boxing Day sales, with some rolling out deals early in the hopes of enticing budget-conscious shoppers. The Canadian promotional retail event has been overshadowed in recent years by its American counterpart, Black Friday. But experts say Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales fell short of expectations last month, leaving some stores with inventory to clear before the end of the season. “Black Friday is the most important day of the year for retailers and it was a bit of a bust,” said Lisa Hutcheson, managing partner at retail consulting firm J.C. Williams Group. “We’re going to end up seeing some deep discounts around Boxing Day because it’s been a bit of a slower sales season. It hasn’t been those crushing crowds of December that we’ve seen in the past.” Even with big discounts, consumers might be hesitant to open their wallets, she said. “Infl...

Photo : Sampajano_Anizza ( Shutterstock ) Between ongoing product shortages , supply chain issues, and stores left with excess inventory , 2022 has been unpredictable when it comes to retail. So what does that mean for the traditionally deep discounts offered at the end of the year? Here’s what to know about 2022's after-Christmas sales, including when they start. How to get the best deals during after-Christmas sales For some people, the real shopping doesn’t begin until after the gift-giving holidays are over, when inventory may be diminished, but the prices are low. Here’s what to keep in mind when looking for the best deals: Not everything will be discounted While it’s safe to assume that some items—like holiday decorations, or regular products in festive holiday packaging—will be on sale after Christmas, that’s not the case for everything. For example, hold off on buying any fitness/exercise equipment, devices, or clothing until a few weeks into the new year (when pe...

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Once you've experienced the luxuries of flying First Class, it's nearly impossible to return to the cramped, close-knit quarters of coach. The extra space, next-level service, convenience and perks of First and Business Class are necessary if you want your flying experience to be memorable and arrive at your destination feeling refreshed. On the flip side, the exorbitant price of a First Class seat can make you feel like a sucker, and as we all know, with the way airlines price tickets these days, it's a strong possibility that everyone sitting around you paid a different price for exactly the same seat. So how do you get the best deal for the seat you want? I travel extensively for work, and my wife and I love to travel for pleasure. Flying is a part of our lives, and thankfully we can afford it, but there are times when I question whether paying for First Class is worth the extra legroo...