No races buta day for shopping
Shoppers took to the streets for Boxing Day bargains in Palmerston North and spent slightly more than last year.
Spending in the city was up 2.4 per cent on the Paymark network, which processes three-quarters of electronic transactions in New Zealand, with more than $4 million going on shoppers’ plastic cards.
It was a sunny day and there was no Boxing Day races in the city, but it seems most people were well-organised in getting their Christmas shopping done before December 25.
Paymark recorded total spending of $152.7m across the country on Boxing Day, but the best trading day was December 23 at $306m.
Last year there was a 11.2 per cent increase in spending nationally, trumping this year’s modest 1.9 per cent increase.
Cotton On, in the Downtown mall in Palmerston North, was ‘‘crazy busy’’.
Manager Liana Te Hiwi said it was better than last year and ‘‘comfortably’’ so.
The store’s pre-christmas sale continued after Christmas, bringing in more and more sale-seekers.
Oderings Garden Centre manager Jason Willets said a combination of hot weather and lack of discounts made for a quiet day at the shop.
‘‘We were probably a few customers down.’’
Every customer who called asked if the garden centre was having a sale, Willets said.
Similarly, Macpherson Garden Centre did not have a Boxing Day sale.
Paymark spokesman Paul Brislen said in the lead-up to Christmas the top three purchases were alcohol, accommodation and automotive repairs.
‘‘The only one that went backwards was taxi services, because of Uber,’’ he said.
‘‘Another one that is low is toys and games. A lot are buying them online.’’
A Warehouse Group spokeswoman said across the country the stores were sending online purchases every three seconds.
‘‘Online demand was pretty significant,’’ she said.
‘‘Pre-christmas toys are very popular and right now camping gear and kid’s swimming pools are proving very popular.’’
Camping gear was in hot demand.
Not all discounts were as popular, though, as the crowd at the Otaki races was down about 30 per cent on the normal Boxing Day attendance in Palmerston North despite tickets selling for half price after the Awapuni races were scratched.
Race Group chief executive Alasdair Robertson said between 3000 and 4000 people attended the races.
The popular event was shifted to Otaki at the last minute after the Awapuni Racecourse in Palmerston North was deemed unsafe by the sport’s Racing Integrity Unit.
On average, 6000 people would attend the Boxing Day races in Awapuni in previous years.
In an attempt to soften the blow of the Boxing Day races moving, organisers also offered cheap bus tickets for $10. ‘‘There was about 115 people.’’ Many people found their own way there, Robertson said.