Wellingtonians chase Boxing Day bargains
Keen to nab some bargains and shake off their Christmas Day food comas at the same time, Wellingtonians took to the central city streets for the annual Boxing Day sales.
Lambton Quay proved one of the most popular spots with large queues at clothing retailers Glassons, Hallensteins and Lululemon on what’s known as the busiest shopping day of the year.
Most central city shops opened at 9am, letting punters get all their shopping done and dusted with enough time to still enjoy the humid end to the day.
Further afield, those with their eyes on more big-ticket items headed out to Lyall Bay’s retail park where consumers nabbed electronics, appliances and furniture.
Massey University retail expert John Murray said the Boxing Day sales were a bit of a win-win for all involved. ‘‘Consumers just want a good deal and will have their eyes on certain products.
‘‘Retailers simply need to move product on, so they will have new products on the floor in January. It suits them as well to discount.’’
Paymark figures are expected to be released today but spending on the electronic network for the first 23 days of December was up only 1 per cent from last year.
Due to Black Friday, there was a peak in November followed by a flat period at the start of December and a strong pick-up towards the end of the Christmas period.
Murray said there were shoppers who believed the thrill of the hunt for a bargain was all part of the occasion.
New Zealanders hit the Boxing Day sales, with big crowds up and down the country causing congestion on the roads and headaches in shopping mall car parks.
The biggest traffic issues were in Auckland, where the NZ Transport Agency issued warnings in the Mt Wellington area as shoppers hit the malls to snap up bargains.
Some shoppers tried to beat the rush, with some waiting for the doors to open at 7.30am at Sylvia Park in Auckland, with extended hours offered at the shopping mall. Jo Allen, marketing manager at Sylvia Park, said numbers could outstrip last year’s Boxing Day figures.
‘‘We have expected the centre to be busy, with more than 90,000 visitors on Boxing Day in 2017,’’ Allen said. ‘‘We project more visitors this year, judging by foot traffic numbers.’’
Allen said the mall opened its doors early, with some major retailers and cafes offering extended hours. ‘‘We have a traffic management team in place, have recently opened 600 new car parks, have extended our hours until 9pm to accommodate the extra visitors, and also have valet parking available until 9pm.
‘‘Shoppers driving into the centre today can look at the Sylvia Park website to see real-time parking information and make the best decision where to park before they arrive.’’
Allen said there had been steady growth throughout the Christmas rush. However, Boxing Day was always the busiest day of the year.