The first flakes set the tone. The Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales frenzy has been felt in stores for well over a week now, with many retailers anticipating a banner year that would surpass pre-pandemic performance.
And this year, the shelves and shelves are well stocked, the stores are not short of goods, assure the traders. Result: suppliers are more flexible, discounts and promotions, more attractive in an inflationary context where consumers are looking for bargains. This year, nearly 41% of Quebecers intend to go shopping on Black Friday (November 25) and Cyber Monday (November 28), according to the Barometer published a few weeks ago by the Conseil québécois du retail trade (CQCD). This proportion rose to 44% last year.
“The good news right now for the customer is that we have stock, unlike other years when there was none because of the supply chain, and people were fighting almost for the last pair of cross-country skis, the last fatbike or the last large blue coat”, illustrates Cédric Morisset, president of La Cordée. For the past ten days, he says, he has seen traffic “explode” in his stores specializing in clothing and outdoor items.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Coats on sale at the Clément store in Saint-Bruno
At Clément and Sports Experts, the arrival of the snow literally “started the ball rolling”, as consumers started shopping for toques and coats. “It’s by far the best time of the year, the discount given by the suppliers for the Black-Fridayit’s really the biggest of the year, ”says Jean-Philippe Clément, general manager of the stores of the same name.
“There are a lot of suppliers who have surpluses, so the discounts are even bigger than in the past,” he adds. They’ve had big years in 2020, 2021, and they’ve ordered a lot for 2022. But interest rates are going up, there’s talk of a possible recession, so consumption has gone down in some categories. Of course, we see a little bigger discounts. »
Thus, customers looking for a stroller, a car seat, a park or even a snowsuit could do good business, according to Mr. Clément.
Discounts are also more numerous in the ten Sports Experts stores, belonging to the Goulet Sports Group. ” Businesses [fournisseurs] often prevent us from offering in-store discounts,” admits Louis Côté, Vice-President of Operations.
This year, compared to last year, there is a much larger opening compared to in-store discounts. We are less blocked because the suppliers have inventory.
Louis Côté, Vice-President of Operations for Groupe Goulet Sports
In this context, Mr. Côté does not hesitate to say that this pre-Christmas sales period will certainly break records in terms of traffic and sales, surpassing the performance achieved before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is a Christmas atmosphere in the store, there are people, the traffic has really increased. Our inventory levels have never been as high, as complete as this year”, he underlines, adding in the process that customers looking for cross-country skis will certainly leave the store with the pair they have. need.
Aggressive and cautious at the same time
As for the La Vie en Rose boutiques, owner François Roberge claims to be more “aggressive” in his promotions than last year, when there was a lack of merchandise, but he still remains cautious in “securing” certain categories. The number of days devoted to its sales has also been reduced compared to 2019. Its promotions came into effect on Thursday, a day before the fateful date.
Thus, on the occasion of the pre-Christmas sales, all pajamas and other dressing gowns are on sale “two for the price of one”. “I excluded 50% of my inventory from this promotion, he specifies however. Bras, panties and swimsuits are not included, he explains. Our inventory is not high enough. These are categories that operate year-round, so we protect them. »
“A Santa Claus or a red-nosed reindeer in pajamas on December 31 is a lot cheaper. The black bra, on October 31, January 31 or May 31, it is worth the same price. »