Look for the link to the Canadian Ratings
to the left of our Ratings table, under the
product selector module.
Screen: ConsumerReports.org

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.

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.