For retailers, Black Friday sales mark the start of the Christmas shopping season.

That usually means crowded shops and sometimes even lineups at the door before stores open.

But not for every merchant.

鈥淪o I think Black Friday works for a lot of industries, for book stores (it is) incredibly hard,鈥� said Jennifer Baerg Steyn, owner of the Yellowknife Book Cellar. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have big margins to begin with, so unlike electronics or other expensive tickets items that can offer a big discount, we don鈥檛 have a lot of we can offer, especially when we are competing with companies like Amazon.鈥�

With that said, Baerg Steyn found an alternative approach, like giving people double stamps which means customers will accumulate points faster to encourage them to come shopping.

鈥淚 know we don鈥檛 deliver their product to their house like Amazon does, but we鈥檙e happy to gift wrap before the items comes in,鈥� she said.

She鈥檚 also trying to support the local community in her own way, such as making donations the local SPCA pet shelter.

Baerg Steyn added that she loves to hear feedback from customers to help her develop strategies to be more competitive in the market.

At Quality Furniture, which has been in business for more than 50 years, co-owner Jeannie Rocher said they were having a really good time during the Black Friday sales. She quipped that it鈥檚 鈥渙ne month before 鈥榟o ho ho鈥� sales.鈥�

Rocher was really appreciative of all the customers who came through her doors.

鈥淲ell, as a retailer, I think it鈥檚 so important to support our local businesses,鈥� she said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 our local business that put all their funds back into our economy. And you send money south and it鈥檚 gone鈥︹��

Overall, both Baerg Steyn and Rocher were optimistic. They said they will still do whatever they can to contribute to the community and they believe that supporting local shops is important.