Black Friday has Windsor retailers getting prepared

Black Friday is two weeks away and that means cross-border shopping is a real possibility for Windsor-Essex shoppers.
Canadian retailers will also try to cash in on the biggest shopping day of the year.

According to a new IPG Mediabrands study, Canadians will spend more than $13.4 billion on holiday shopping.

The study also claims 49 per cent (16.3 million) of Canadians plan to shop on either Black Friday, which is Nov. 28 this year, or on Cyber Monday, which falls on Dec. 1.

IPG Mediabrands says 24 per cent of Black Friday shoppers will cross the border looking for deals in the U.S.

Some retailers in Windsor are already planning to entice Christmas shoppers to buy local.

"I think it's becoming a bigger and bigger event in Canada as well and of course being on the border we always like to keep our customers in Windsor," said Ali Freed, owner of Freeds, Canada's largest independent clothing retailer.

The women's section there expanded just in time for the holiday season. Ali Freed said he's stocked up on exclusive Canada Goose winter jackets.

"We actually tripled our buy for how much we bought this year compared to last year," he said.

Meanwhile, in downtown Windsor, BB Branded will have the newest Nike Air Jordan shoes in stock for release that day.

Addy Saddy, owner of BB Branded, says he expects to sell at least 40 or 50 pairs.

A Deloitte study recently released suggests shopping behaviours have changed.

It says nearly two out of five shoppers, or 38.7 per cent, have already started shopping or will do so before Black Friday.

Roughly the same number, 38.6 per cent intend to do the majority of their shopping between Black Friday and mid-December.

It says there has been a dramatic shift ...

Bill Wellington, a professor at the Odette School of Business, says Black Friday is about than deals.

"It's also an experience as well. So between the variety and the experience, I still think a lot of Windsorites are going to make the visit to Detroit," he said.

Experts do say Canadian retailers are expected to fare better this year than the last few because of the weakening Canadian dollar.

The loonie rose 0.45 of a cent to 88.37 cents US as the loonie continued to improve from the five-year lows that it reached last week.