With Black Friday upon us, the holiday shopping season is unofficially underway. Scotiabank Consumer Analyst George Doumet is our guest and breaks down where prices are going up and by how much, what trends he’s seeing and, believe it or not, where you might even be able to catch a deal this year.

Key moments this episode: 

1:06 — Why does it seem like Black Friday deals start earlier and earlier each year? 

1:29 — How important is Black Friday to retailers in Canada? 

2:04 — The good news when it comes to retail this holiday season… 

2:29 — …and the bad news. With a silver lining. 

3:41 — How inflation will affect Black Friday prices 

4:12 — What is ‘trade down’ and why is it a trend this season? 

4:48 — Where will customers see some deals this season? 

6:21 — Which areas won’t see much of a discount? 

7:02 — The “big new threat” to retailers this season 

7:37 — Why grandma’s apple pie is going to cost a lot more this year 

8:33 — How grocery consumers’ habits are changing because of inflation 

9:04 — What are customers to make of grocery store profits? 

10:46 — Beyond the holiday season, what is the health of Canadian consumers?

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