For retailers, Black Friday sales mark the start of the Christmas shopping season.
That usually means crowded shops and sometimes even lineups at the door before stores open.
But not for every merchant.
“So I think Black Friday works for a lot of industries, for book stores (it is) incredibly hard,” said Jennifer Baerg Steyn, owner of the Yellowknife Book Cellar. “We don’t have big margins to begin with, so unlike electronics or other expensive tickets items that can offer a big discount, we don’t have a lot of we can offer, especially when we are competing with companies like Amazon.”
With that said, Baerg Steyn found an alternative approach, like giving people double stamps which means customers will accumulate points faster to encourage them to come shopping.
“I know we don’t deliver their product to their house like Amazon does, but we’re happy to gift wrap before the items comes in,” she said.
She’s also trying to support the local community in her own way, such as making donations the local SPCA pet shelter.
Baerg Steyn added that she loves to hear feedback from customers to help her develop strategies to be more competitive in the market.
At Quality Furniture, which has been in business for more than 50 years, co-owner Jeannie Rocher said they were having a really good time during the Black Friday sales. She quipped that it’s “one month before ‘ho ho ho’ sales.”
Rocher was really appreciative of all the customers who came through her doors.
“Well, as a retailer, I think it’s so important to support our local businesses,” she said, “It’s our local business that put all their funds back into our economy. And you send money south and it’s gone…”
Overall, both Baerg Steyn and Rocher were optimistic. They said they will still do whatever they can to contribute to the community and they believe that supporting local shops is important.