A tale of three Black Friday shoppers

Today, the day following Thanksgiving in the United States, marks the unofficial start of the the holiday shopping season – Black Friday.

While the shopping chaos and extreme deals commonly associated with Black Friday are known to rampant in the United States, Canada has followed suit with retailers – national and otherwise – offering bargains and special offers.

One Station Mall merchant who wished to remain anonymous, told SooToday that her store saw more shoppers this year than last, and the mall itself was steady with consumers from the moment it opened at 7 a.m.

John, from Ann Arbor, Mich., was one of those consumers.

“The entire family is up here to watch my son (Mike Winn) play hockey. He plays for the Thunderbirds,” he told us.

John said he comes to Sault Ste. Marie as often as possible to watch Mike play.

So, how is Black Friday shopping in Ontario compared to Michigan?

“It’s much better here,” he said. “There’s more selection, better prices, plus we get the discount on the dollar since it’s stronger.”

This was John’s first time shopping on Black Friday in Canada, and he said he’ll most definitely make an effort to return next year.

Dan and Danielle said they normally do a lot of shopping on Black Friday, but typically in the United States.

The pair decided to stick close to home this year because of the weak Canadian dollar.

Debby, a first-time Black Friday consumer, said she felt the deals available made the shopping worth while and she’d likely do it again in coming years.

However, today was far from the kick off to her holiday shopping.

She’s an early starter and had much of her shopping done a month ago.

“Now I’ll get all my Christmas baking done. Then in the month of December, I’m not worn out,” she said.

Very smart on her part.

Black Friday deals continue tonight throughout the Station Mall until 11 p.m.