Store Flyers

Ever enter a store intending to buy only one thing, only to exit with an arm full of bags? Sure, you could be a shopaholic who lacks self-control and doesn't know how to budget, but, in actuality, it's probably not all your fault.

Store layouts are meant to confuse and disorient you, so that you actually do have that feeling of literally getting lost among the merchandise. Just finding the exit in some of these stores can be a pretty heady task and it's meant to feel that way. The people at the store want to keep you there as long as possible because they know that the longer you are there, the more likely more and more money is going to start leaving your wallet.

Knowing all that, we've complied the tricks stores use in their layouts to keep you spending money and will thereby hopefully inoculate you against temptation forever more.


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If you're a Boxing Day sales fan, then you're getting ready to brave the crowds or ensuring your Internet connection is strong for December 26.

Some stores have already started marking down their wares so you can get a good deal now. Here's what we've found so far. The list will be ongoing as more sales are announced.

It's that time of year again, America's annual orgy of discretionary spending that falls on U.S. Thanksgiving Weekend. The Friday after American Thanksgiving is significant because it kicks off the holiday shopping season and the stores know it.

Hence, the store openings at 4 a.m. and the deep discounts the likes of which are never seen the rest of the year. The term Black Friday actually originates in Philadelphia as far back as 1961 where it was used to describe the heavy and often disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic that often materialize the day after Thanksgiving. Since 2005, when the day has become known for wanton consumerism, the term has evolved to signify when retailers turn a profit or "Go into the black."

Every year the media tries to make like Black Friday has always been the biggest shopping day of the year, but, truthfully, that has not always been the case. In actuality, it filled spots five through ten between 1993 and 2001 and didn't become the busiest shopping day until 2003 where it has remained ever since.

Thanks to the strong Canadian dollar and the general hype and chaos surrounding crowds of people going crazy while charging through doors for insane savings, Black Friday has become an annual excuse for cross-border shopping for many Canadians, so much so that Canadian outlets have started to mimic the phenomenon to keep Canadian shoppers at home.

But are the deals really so stupendous and are the endless line-ups really still worth the massive consumerist payoff? More and more it seems Black Friday, and its online counterpart Cyber Monday, are already becoming passé.

BLACK FRIDAY CANADA 2012:
Black Friday Canada 2012: The Big Guide to Stores, Sales, and Openings
Where to Find the Best Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals
Black Friday Shopping Strategies
Survival Tips for Black Friday 2012
Walmart Black Friday Starts at 8 pm Thursday

Rumblings abound in the Canadian media last year about high-profile American Department stores invading this country's shores in a play for soft international expansion.

"They look at us as being a safe, very consistent-with-what-they-know market, so therefore they can play in the international market without getting a bloody nose," Brent Barr, international retailing instructor at Ryerson University told The Toronto Star, adding that U.S. retailers have confidence in Canada's stability in the retail and financial sectors. He also told them that many stores weren't large enough to start international expansion 20 years ago, and are beginning to do so now because there is no more room to grow in the U.S.

With the arrival of Marshalls in Ontario in March 2011, this American expansion into the Canadian market has already begun and Canadian shoppers are already starting to see if the U.S. chains they heard about for years are worth their hype and reputations. Marshalls though, is only the beginning.

With more U.S.-based chain stores on the way, we thought it would be worth it to rundown their current status and what Canadian shoppers have in store for them when they finally set foot in these American retail giants.

If you're in the market for a new house or simply looking to
renew your existing mortgage, I'm sure you've noticed the "Mortgage War" being waged by most of Canada's big banks. RBC, TD, Scotiabank and BMO have been offering long term, fixed rate mortgages for 2.99 per cent. This is among the lowest fixed rate mortgages you're likely ever to see.

On the one hand, this has been a bit of a strange move from an industry that has expressed worries in the past about mortgage debt in Canada. On the other hand, now might be a terrific opportunity for first-time buyers to get into the market. So, what should you be conscious of if you're thinking about a rock-bottom mortgage rate?

All us deal hunters and freebie hounds have heard the stories: There are people out there who can walk into a grocery store and walk out with hundreds of dollars worth of food using nothing but coupons and their own penchant for organization. The rest of us are left to wallow in resentment, since we know deep down we don't have the discipline for those rewards. Then that resentment is followed by a certain brand of consummerist backlash. "These people are going too far. Do they really need two hundred deoderants?"

Shows like TLC's Extreme Couponing seem to do nothing but fan those flames among us average shoppers. Yet, when you see stay at home mom Joanie Demer of McKinleyville, CA buy $638.64 worth of groceries for $2.64, there's a skeptiscm that doesn't really believe that this 98% savings is possible. Still, we all want a piece of that don't we? We all would be extreme couponers if it didn't take such dedication.

Still, is it really possible to pull it off? The show only answers that question in the affirmative for the American audience, but you hardly ever hear of extreme couponers hauling wheelbarrels full of product out of a Safeway or a Loblaws. Walletpop wanted to find out why that was and what we discovered is that there are still tricks to saving with coupons in this country, but not to a degree that's going to allow the neighbours to shop out of your garage.

Is there a Metro near you? Do you love to barbecue? Then head over to Metro where you can get a free bottle of barbecue sauce! Yes, you read that right - Metro is offering a coupon for a free bottle of Irresistibles (their store line) barbecue sauce to their Facebook fans.

Like most Facebook pages, you have to like them in order to get the coupon. It's one per customer and valid until June 9th.

It's not feeling very summery out there, but Sears is already offering bargains off of summer clothing and footwear. There are also deals on furniture, electronics, camping gear and even cribs.

So if you need to refurnish your home (a lot of people move during the summer) then check out the Sears sale! It's only available until June 5th.

It seems every company has a points card, but the Air Miles card seems to be the granddaddy of them all. If there's a Rexall or Guardian or any other store in the Rexall family near you, you can earn an extra 100 bonus Air Miles when you spend $50 or more in the store (some exclusions apply). That's on top of their usual weekly discounts. Bonus!

All you have to do is enter your postal code to see the flyers of all the stores in the Rexall family.

All the coupon masters know that coupon stacking (the practice of using two or more coupons on the same item) is the real key to saving big bucks in America and the strategy that makes shows like TLC's Extreme Couponers possible.

In Canada, many couponers swear that London Drugs, with locations from the west coast to the Manitoba border, is the only place where coupon stacking is allowed.

The first part of our coupon stacking series showed that it is possible to coupon stack by combining manufacturer coupons with printable coupons from the Internet where these types of discounts are permitted. Some stores, like Zellers, have no official rule against coupon stacking for items at regular price. Sometimes all it takes is a charitable cashier on the right day.

Yes, our first foray into the real coupon policies of the largest grocery and drug stores across the country shed light on a great deal, but there were many stores that were missing from the list, so this piece is intended to cover those major players previously excluded.