Big box stores prepare for Black Friday customers. (Photo Courtesy Kevin Kyle)

By Gates Guarin

Big box stores prepare for Black Friday shoppers

Nov 24, 2022 | 5:25 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Black Friday deals are popping up all over town, and businesses are hopeful Hatters shop around ahead of the holiday season.

Big box stores have been anticipating a rebound of customers coming through the door after two years of the pandemic.

Trina Towner, manager of Leon’s Medicine Hat, says this time of year has always been busy for the business.

“The past years, we’ve been busy. COVID kind of put a little damper on that, but I’m anticipating coming out of COVID now the first year that we’re back out of things, that it’s going to be a lot busier.” Towner says, adding the pandemic changed the way they promote Black Friday.

“We’re doing more all day, all weekend specials, and very aggressive specials for certain items as opposed to a door crashers with no limited quantities.” Towner adds.

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The prolonged specials are to ensure customers get the best deals, while also not having to crowd on a single day. She expects sofas and TVs will be on the minds of most shoppers coming down to their location just off the Trans-Canada highway.

Over at Visions Electronics, staff have been quite busy preparing for the popular sales event.

“Everyone’s been running around, hustling, doing the best work they can to make sure everything is proper, everything is packaged and done with the tags, so it’s just easy shopping for everybody this year,” says Austin Martin, head of mobile sales.

Martin says early morning lineups outside of the store have happened in the past, and sales reps are gearing up for a similar feel, but also adds online sales may outnumber those buying in-store.

A recent survey found 84 per cent of shoppers were adding to their online shopping cart in 2021, compared to only 53 per cent that went to a store in person, but Towner says things are a little different in a city like Medicine Hat.

“Due to the fact that we live in a smaller community, online sales aren’t as a big of an impact as what they are as in say, a bigger centre, but we do do probably 10 to 15 per cent of our sales are done through the website.”

Even with high inflation, both Towner and Martin feel the community will be back in full force just in time for Christmas.

“I think it’s definitely become a lot more upbeat, everyone’s more excited to get out and visit and check things,” Martin says. “We’ve got lots of support from the vendors and from our community, it’s been a good time for us the last little bit.”