Bargain hunters brave cold for Boxing Day savings
Temperatures that dropped to –17 C weren’t enough to keep people from lining up in the weehours of a frigid morning, hoping to be among the first to take advantage of hundreds of dollars in savings.
Jason Rossi, general manager of Best Buy in St. Catharines, said the first people arrived at the Vansickle Road store about midnight, although they initially stayed in their cars to keep warm.
By about 3 a.m. — three hours before the store was scheduled to open on Boxing Day — he said the lineup really started to form.
“Pretty much the whole store is on sale, so it’s been popular everywhere,” he said.
Rossi said he lost count of the number of shoppers who visited the store Tuesday morning.
“It’s been like this all day so far,” he said, gesturing to a crowded shop.
He expected it would continue to be just as busy until the business closed at 9 p.m.
Although sale prices remain in effect until Thursday, Rossi said people could miss out on getting the items they want if they wait too long.
“Stuff will sell out, for sure,” he said.
Retailers at the Pen Centre were just as crowded with Boxing Day bargain hunters.
The lineups continued throughout the day at several smaller shops within the mall. And workers at those stores expected the lineups to continue throughout the day.
Thomas and Domenic DeCiccio were waiting in a lineup of more than a dozen people at EB Games, hoping to make the most of their Christmas money by taking advantage of the 60 per cent off sale.
Domenic said they were looking for games for their Xbox — in particular NHL 18.
Sierra Witte, standing beside an 80-per-cent-off sign at the entrance to the West 49 clothing store, said Boxing Day is always busy at the shopping centre. But this year, it “was busy when we weren’t even open yet.”
She said all hands were on deck to keep the store running throughout one of the toiling shopping days of the year.
“On Boxing Day, everybody has to work,” Witte said. “It has been pretty crazy.”
Overall, Witte said it was a busy holiday shopping season.
“It has been great. Our store has been having a lot of crazy deals this winter. A lot more people are getting drawn in.”
It wasn’t nearly as busy in Niagara’s south, however.
Jazmine Piper of Welland said she usually avoids shopping on Boxing Day, but this year her and her boyfriend needed to return a gift at Seaway Mall. She said because they were there they would visit a couple stores to check out the deals.
Piper said when they were on their way to the mall they were expecting it would be much busier.
“It seems pretty slow here,” she said.
Shopper Jordan Mccrae said he also thought the mall was pretty slow. He said last year Seaway Mall was much busier.
Mccrae said he thinks people are doing more online shopping.
“I feel it’s really dead for a usual Boxing Day,” he said.