Boxing Day bargain hunters overrun mall, big box stores
Online shopping may be gaining in popularity, but it was hard to tell that on Tuesday, given the army of shoppers on the hunt for Boxing Day deals across the city.
Devonshire Mall and the big-box commercial zone on south Walker Road were overrun with bargain hunters on the traditional day of shopping that follows Christmas, when merchants offer some of their lowest prices on goods.
“We’re spending money,” said Monique Simon, who makes the trip to Devonshire Mall annually from Chatham.
“I’ve got four girls and we come out every year. Today, we were late and didn’t get here until 8:30 a.m.”
The mall was crowded inside. Traffic in the parking lot and on surrounding streets was a nightmare throughout much of Tuesday morning and into the early afternoon.
Some passengers even bothered to get out of vehicles and attempted to direct traffic.
“All the people don’t bother me at all,” Simon said. “I’ve been fighting the crowds for two months, but today I get to spend the money on me instead of everybody else. That makes it fun.”
Caroline Jacobson and her mom Sandy are also among those who make it an annual tradition to go shopping at the mall on Boxing Day.
“We come every year,” Caroline said. “We shop, we eat lunch, it’s our girls’ day. We got here around 9 a.m. You have to get here early when there are less crowds and nothing is picked over. You can find good deals.”
A spokesman for RedFlagDeals.com, a Canadian bargain-hunting and coupon website, said while Boxing Day is still popular for shopping, it’s been eclipsed across the country by Black Friday in terms of best deals and number of shoppers.
“The last three or four years, you have Black Friday and Cyber Monday really gaining in popularity,” said Jeff Novak, brand director for Red Flag Deals.
“We did a survey asking people and only 23 per cent across Canada said they believe Boxing Day offers the best deals of the year, while 51 per cent said Black Friday.”
The reality in terms of which day offers best prices depends exactly on what you’re shopping for, he said.
Boxing Day often provides the best deals for items such as big-screen televisions, gaming systems and cellphone carriers, Novak said. Small or large appliances can also be found at bargain prices, plus smart-technology items such as light switches or thermostats.
Boxing Day sales are also starting earlier each year with many retail outlets offering sales starting on Christmas Eve.
Best Buy started its sale at 7 p.m. on Dec. 24, while The Bay, Indigo, Walmart, Microsoft, Staples and The Source are among others that started deals on Dec. 24 or Christmas Day, according to RedFlagDeals.com.
“They attempt to drive people to door-crash lineups (on Boxing Day) in many cases starting at 5 a.m.,” Novak said.
“If you do your research and know the exact size and colour you want, you can really see great prices that way.”
That was true for many who stood in line before doors opened within the big-box shopping district, especially at Best Buy, where customers were lined up around the building before the store opened at 6 a.m.
“I heard there would be good deals, so I came to spend money with my boyfriend,” said Erica Miner of LaSalle, who bought a 50-inch Smart television that was marked down $200 to a price of $500.
“I don’t mind all the people. Everybody stays out of each other’s way because everyone is on a mission. You do your own mission and everything works out great. We were in and out of here in about an hour and got exactly what we came to get.”
The store’s general manager, Brad Ratz, described this year’s numbers of Boxing Day customers as being pretty typical.
“Black Friday continues to grow for us, but Boxing Day is still our biggest day of the year,” he said. “I’ve been here since 4 a.m. and we had customers braving the cold and waiting in line in front of the store.
“It’s exciting for us because we always have amazing deals. TVs are always good on Boxing Day. Smart home technology, like Google Home, also has been absolutely amazing. Cellphones are also very popular this time of year.”
Ratz indicated many of the Boxing Day shoppers at Best Buy are armed with gift cards received as Christmas gifts.
“It will taper off a bit for us throughout the week, but it will still remain busy,” he said. “I don’t know for sure if it’s our busiest week of the year, but the whole month of December is certainly our busiest time of the year.”