Boxing Day sales: Last-minute tips for Canadians

The day's title baffles Americans—a celebration of pugilism, perhaps? But Canadians like me—I'm a transplant from Ottawa—know the day after Christmas, named for the long-lost tradition of giving boxed gifts that day, as one of the biggest shopping days of the year, not least for electronics gear.

Like Black Friday south of the border—a non-event in Canada, since Thanksgiving falls in early October—it's a day replete with early openings, frenzied crowds, and often-deep discounting. Unlike Black Friday, of course, it's almost all people shopping for themselves, trying to snap up stuff they didn't get given the day before.

This year, much as with Black Friday, some Canadian retailers began their sales before the actual day, especially online. For example, the major Canadian electronics chain Future Shop began its Boxing Day sales online at 8pm on Christmas Eve.

Since Boxing Day does so resemble Black Friday, most of our tips on buying on that day apply, including those from Tightwad Tod, our frugal shopping specialist. Of course, given the less-than-bumper holiday season for U.S. retailers, there could be plenty of post-holiday sales south of the border, too, with the same advice and cautions in effect.

By the way, if you're a Canadian who's unfamiliar with Consumer Reports, be aware that we gather Canadian information on some major products, including TVs and digital cameras, and make that information available to subscribers. To access Canadian prices, availability, and model names and numbers, look for the maple leaf link that's just below the "Find Ratings" bar to the left of the Ratings chart. (Click on the image at right to see an example—the link to the Ratings of digital camera models available in Canada.)

Heading to stores to return items rather than buying them? Check out our latest tips on returns.

—Paul Reynolds