BLACK FRIDAY OR BOXING DAY?

Black Friday — the unofficial kickoff to Christmas shopping because it’s the day after U.S. Thanksgiving and generally a day off from work in that country — increasingly has followers in Canada, too.

An IPG Media survey shows one million Canadians will call in sick on Nov. 28, with another 2.3 million planning to shop online on Cyber Monday, three days later.

And it showed Canadians are expected to spend more than $1.6 billion in stores across the border on Black Friday.

But a new trend that developed during the past few years that has seen Canadian retailers cashing in on the U.S. tradition means they won’t have to travel across the border, according to IPG Media.

It said 75 per cent of Canadians prefer Black Friday to the only-in-Canada Boxing Day sales.

Thirty-three per cent of Canadian shoppers now expect Black Friday deals.

Black Friday may be the new Boxing Day. A survey by Accenture revealed the traditional Canadian holiday of Boxing Day is losing its prominence among consumers for having the best deals of the season, as the popularity of Black Friday shopping has grown.

It found Canadian consumers in 2014 expect to find the best deals on both Black Friday (33 per cent) and Boxing Day (33 per cent). Last year, the survey showed 44 per cent of Canadians expected to find the best deals on Boxing Day.