Black Friday marks the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season. So, we're taking the pulse of Canadian consumers and retailers. John Zamparo, Analyst in Retail and Consumer Products at Scotiabank is our guest and will tell us why Canadian retailers and consumers are feeling cautious, where bargain hunters may (or may not) find some deals, what trends he’s seeing and much more. 

For legal disclosures, please visit http://bit.ly/socialdisclaim and www.gbm.scotiabank.com/disclosures 

Key moments this episode: 

1:15 – Why the headline for this year’s Black Friday is “proceed with caution”  

2:01 – Why good economic news isn’t translating to increased consumer spending 

3:56 – The most common question John gets from family and friends on pricing 

4:33 – How consumer sentiment might affect Black Friday trends 

6:11 – What does John mean when he says we might see a more “traditional” Black Friday? 

6:25 – How the postal worker strike may affect Black Friday and holiday purchasing 

6:54 – Where consumers will likely see some deep discounts this Black Friday (and where they won’t) 

7:44 – Canadians love a deal. And that’s backed by research 

9:00 – What about trends when it comes to Canadians dining out vs. dining in? 

10:01 – What is the state of food prices in grocery stores now vs. a year ago? 

11:36 – How Canadian consumers compare to the rest of the world when it comes to online shopping and how that changes on Black Friday 

12:48 – What’s John splurging on for himself this holiday?