The CFIB says 65 per cent of small retail businesses expect that they will lose sales to big businesses and online giants on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Prairie spokesperson with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Brianna Solberg, believes there are misconceptions that the deals are only to be found at the big box stores or online, but in reality, she says, small businesses are more price competitive than you might think.

Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you can also shop on Small Business Saturday, something the CFIB started in partnership with American Express over ten years ago. The goal is to encourage Canadians to shop local during the busy holiday season. Solberg adds that it also helps the community, because 66 cents from every dollar spent at a local small business stays in the community, compared to 11 cents for large multi-nationals.

She notes that shopping online isn’t always as convenient as it may seem because what you order may not be what you get and then you have to send it back, or it arrives broken, or you have to pay duty on it.