Boxing Day shoppers hit the streets
The sun was out on Boxing Day in Nelson, and so were shoppers looking to nab a bargain the day after Christmas.
While there was a slower start to the day in downtown Nelson City, the crowds built up steadily throughout the morning.
Morrison Square centre manager Ange Leonard said that while the impact of preChristmas sales had affected the size of the Boxing Day crowds, it was still the biggest day of the year for many retailers.
‘‘Black Friday has been a bit detrimental to retail in general, especially when it’s online, but we had queues in here this morning with people waiting to get in,’’ she said.
‘‘The carparks are full, and there’s people out and about and supporting local.’’
While Boxing Day sales can conjure up images of hectic crowds and stressed shoppers, Leonard said there had been a laid-back atmosphere in town this year.
‘‘Most of the shoppers are chilled and relaxed and they’re on holiday, just enjoying the sunshine and what Nelson is renowned for. It’s just great to see the weather’s improved and people are out and about and enjoying it.’’
For ‘‘Boxing Day virgins’’ Mason and Kendall Robinson, who were on the hunt for a fridge, it was a relief that the day hadn’t been as frenetic as expected.
‘‘I never went because I don’t like the crowds and the hype, and I don’t care too much about the bargains,’’ Kendall said.
‘‘We’ve been out since 7.30am,
because we’ve always thought there’d be masses of people. There were quite a few people at Rebel Sport and Briscoes, but we were expecting to be trampled to death.’’
Shoppers on Trafalgar St said it wasn’t as busy as they remembered from previous years.
Leonie Trathen said that while she wasn’t a regular Boxing Day shopper, the increase in the number of pre-Christmas sales like Black Friday had had a noticeable impact.
Hana Randall said that although it was just another sale, there was still a bit of hype around Boxing Day, which made it a bit more exciting.
This year’s Boxing Day sales came on the back of a big preChristmas spend across the country.
On Friday, December 20, Paymark, which processes eftpos
‘‘There’s people out and about and supporting local.’’ Ange Leonard, Morrison Square centre manager
transactions for more than 70 per cent of New Zealand’s retailers, handled a record figure of $297.5 million for the day.
Those figures maintained their pace in the lead-up to Christmas on Monday and Christmas Eve. Paymark processed another $284.9 million on Monday, with similar (but yet to be collated) numbers for Christmas Eve on Tuesday.
The nationally running preChristmas spend, at $8.602 billion since November 13, had already surpassed the total for 2018 by Christmas Eve.