SHOPPING CROWDS: Shoppers in Christchurch’s Westfield Riccarton mall looking for a bargain in the Boxing Day sales.
Stores opened early but shoppers arrived even earlier – with queues of eager customers a feature of the manic Boxing Day sales.
From early yesterday, malls and high street shops were packed with customers looking to cash in vouchers or exploit post-Christmas sales.
In Wellington, eager readers were waiting outside Whitcoulls on Lambton Quay when the doors opened at 8.30am – despite the store opening 90 minutes earlier than was usual for a public holiday, manager Tahae Lane said.
Many people were spending vouchers they had been given for Christmas. Hot- selling items including the Steve Jobs biography, George RR Martin novel A Game of Thrones, and the Downton Abbey books and DVDs.
“Old classic” games such as New Zealand Monopoly, draughts, chess and pick-up sticks were popular.
“We get a lot of board games and card games for people going away on holiday.”
Crowds also piled into a bustling Queensgate Mall in Lower Hutt.
Kaylyn McKenzie, 16, was at the mall stocking up on clothes. She had been given a lot of Christmas money and said she had found good deals.
Hannahs retail assistant Danielle Kippax said the shop had three extra staff on to deal with the rush.
After three hours yesterday morning, the shop had already sold more than half as much as it would normally on a busy Saturday. “It’s crazy, it’s so busy,” she said.
Next door at a jam-packed Footlocker, staffer Danny Connell said a computer crash had made things more hectic than they needed to be.
Supre retail assistant Farren Riki said hundreds of people had come into the store and it was “crazy busy”.
A staff member at JB Hi-Fi in Willis St said the store’s Boxing Day sale was going “ridiculously well”.
Outside the store, sisters Alice and Vicky Chiu said they had started the day with a stroll down Lambton Quay and ended up stopping in virtually every shore and spending about $500.
They were going home with homeware, shoes, incense dispensers and a camera.
Barista May Young held back on spending too much because she was saving for a trip to Australia. “I have seen quite a lot of clothes I like.”
In Christchurch, shoppers rudely cut off by the pre-Christmas quakes turned out in droves.
At Riccarton’s Westfield Shopping Centre manager Bronwyn Anchor said shoppers were queuing at 8.45am in a bid to get the best bargains.
L’Occitane store manager Evelyn Teo said some products had sold out by midday and they were waiting for fresh stock to arrive.
At Westfield Albany on Auckland’s North Shore, there were queues just to enter the car parks.
Boxing Day sales figures were expected to be available today.
Meanwhile, others used Boxing Day to offload unwanted presents.
Between midday Christmas Day and yesterday, 18,000 items were listed on Trade Me.
Trade Me spokesman Paul Ford said gift items most likely to be on-sold included linen, stationery, electric shavers, DVDs, ties, chocolates and kitchen appliances.
In a survey of more than 700 Dominion Post readers, 49 per cent said they were cutting back their spending on Christmas presents this year, while just 6 per cent said they were
– © Fairfax NZ News
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At least in good ole NZ there were no stabbings or pepper sprayings by crazed shoppers.
We avoided it and slept in, then later shared a lovely summer night meal with friends. Can’t think of anything worse than being in a crowded mall of sweaty, impatient shoppers pushing and shoving each other for some crappy item that they absolutely can’t live without!
Ngaizone: I ate some of the grub prepared for the SVA: thanks!
needed the fuel was a fair bit of shovelling to be done.
I can’t think of a worse way to spend Boxing Day. That people would actually choose this as a family activity is beyond me. That shopping is presented as therapy is troubling.I must start to watch more T.V. maybe this will help my affliction. The best to you from this hopeless case.
@ Bryan # 7 – I thought the Palms was busy, despite Farmers not being open and K-Mart opening late. I’m sure it wasn’t as busy as Westfield though.
Also remember that although there is a lot of mess in the eastern suburbs, residents all over Christchurch feel the shaking. Well-done to those who ventured out – to whatever mall – despite being frightened. Not easy for some.
good on you # 5 and go the student army. awesome people
Good to hear that.. Christchurch definitely needs all the cheer it can get right now.. Gorgeous day for it..
I notice this ” newsworthy story” comes with an advertisement for sony, how appropriately linked to this
Supajay
#8
via mobile
08:21 pm Dec 26 2011
Yeah! Go the economy.
The western shopping centres were choka all day, Hornby Hub and Westfield especially. I think shoppers came west to escape the ongoing quakes on the east side suburbs.