Shoppers hunt for Black Friday discounts in Barrie
Shoppers hit the stores in Barrie on Friday anxious to find great deals for Black Friday.
Dozens of people lined up outside stores, with some saying they found decent discounts.
"There is a lot of 70 per cent off," said one shopper at Georgian Mall in Barrie.
Black Friday isn't typically a big driver for small businesses, especially those hit hard by the pandemic. They aren't able to offer the deals of larger retailers.
"All the retailers that offer big discounts, that's just not feasible in my business," said ZuZu Fashion Boutique owner Tracey Baker.
Still, the Barrie boutique owner said business was steady with the push to support local.
"It's been wonderful," Baker added she offered a tax-free discount to customers this week. "That is just my acknowledgment of Black Friday. It's nice to offer something."
The Retail Council of Canada shows many people are anxious to return to in-person shopping this year and eager to check off their holiday wish list.
While retail may still be king, a 2021 Holiday Shopping report revealed roughly 40 per cent of people plan to click from the comfort of their couch.
"It's become easier now and makes a lot more sense to shop online," said retail analyst Bruce Winder.
Experts predict Canadians will spend 23 per cent more on gifts this year with the excitement of a return to in-person shopping.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liberal MP says she's leaving politics over disrespectful dialogue, threats, misogyny
Liberal MP Pam Damoff says she won't run again in the next federal election, saying she has experienced misogyny, disrespectful dialogue in politics and threats to her life.
Concerns about Plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglass barriers.
Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Ont. woman who faked pregnancy to defraud doulas arrested again on similar charges
Victims of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was sentenced to house arrest earlier this year for defrauding and deceiving doulas say they’re not surprised she’s been apprehended again on similar charges.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Construction begins on LGBTQ2S+ national monument in Ottawa
Shovels have hit the ground for constuction on Canada's LGBTQ2S+ national monument in Ottawa.
B.C. man awarded $5,000 in damages in first-of-it-kind intimate image case
In a first-of-its-kind case, a B.C. tribunal has ruled on a dispute involving the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, awarding damages and issuing orders that the photos be destroyed and taken offline.