Ottawa, ON – In an effort to keep shopping dollars on this side of the border, a number of area stores and malls will open their doors early for “Black Friday” sales.

Carlingwood Mall will be open from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. with many stores offering deals. A full list can be found here.

Bayshore is opening up at 7 a.m. and a long list of deal offered at various stores can be found here.

While Rideau Centre will be open for its regular hours, some stores in the mall will open at 8 a.m. A full list of participating stores can be found here.

At Billings Bridge, not all stores will be open early, but a list of stores opening up at 8 a.m. can be found here.

Other stores offering deals include everyone from Toys R Us, Shoppers Drug Mart, to Wal Mart.

Rogers is also offering the new Samsung Galaxy S III for just a penny, normally $159.99.  More information here.


The day after American Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season and Canadian businesses are trying to keep customers on this side of the border, especially after the federal government relaxed its cross-border shopping rules in June.

Earlier this year, the Canadian government allowed travelers coming back after 24 hours away to bring back $200 worth of goods free of duty or taxes, an increase from just $50.

People gone more than 48 hours are allowed $800 in duty-free goods, double the present $400 allowance.

There is no longer any specified seven-day limit on duty-free purchases.