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Heather Davis, Apt Collection Store Manager in Rotorua and Karen Edgar, Second Head, are looking forward to seeing Boxing Day shoppers.Photography/Laura Smith
Shoppers at the Bay of Plenty spent more than $57 million in one week leading up to Christmas, but retailers hope checkouts will ring even more often on Boxing Day.
After record spending leading up to Christmas and Boxing Day last year, some retailers are slightly behind in spending this year, but that means a successful key day of sales. I hope
In the week ending 17 December, consumer spending by major retailers on Worldline NZ’s payment network in the Bay of Plenty was $57.3 million.
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Spending typically increases significantly in the week before the big day, with about $7.1 million spent in the region on Boxing Day last year.
In Rotorua, Apt Collections store manager Heather Davis said Boxing Day was ‘the baby boomer’.
The streets were bustling with holidaymakers. She said it’s usually a good, happy atmosphere in town.
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With the return of tourists this year, we were hoping that more people would go out looking for Boxing Day bargains.
She said it’s been a little quieter this year, but it’s been steady enough.
The weather has been erratic lately, but she said she doesn’t care what happens on December 26th.
In fact, she said wet weather may mean more shoppers if plans to visit lakes and beaches fall through.
Eko retail assistant Bernie McCourt was unsure what to expect on Boxing Day, with fewer people shopping the week before Christmas than last year.
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It wasn’t the usual Christmastime chaos.
She also said it would depend on the weather.
Retail NZ Chief Executive Greg Harford said Boxing Day is a very important day on the retail shopping calendar, rivaling Black Friday in terms of sales.
But Boxing Day was even more important than usual, as there was a period of “a little softer” preparation for Christmas. A good Boxing Day helped the retailer make his 2023 a success.
“Most retail stores will be open on Boxing Day and there may be a variety of deals going on.
“As we anticipate busy times in-store and online, Retail NZ encourages everyone to be patient and shop if customers are visiting the store.”
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Steve Ellingford, manager of Bayfair Shopping Center, said the erratic weather may be the reason his business has performed so well over the past week.
“If you’re tracking in line with 2019, that’s pretty good…people are coming.”
He expected a big turnout on Boxing Day, but probably more than usual given that the economic forecast meant people were eyeing sales more often. .
He said the center opened an hour earlier at 8 a.m. that day to give people more time to shop.
Stevie McFarlane, store manager at Mt. Surf Shop Downtown, expected a large turnout on Boxing Day.
She said there were no specific Boxing Day sales, but the numbers of vacationers and shoppers were good for the store.
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“It’s usually pretty chaotic.”
All in all, she said the week leading up to Christmas and Boxing Day itself was pretty busy, with something always happening in town.
A spokesperson for Downtown Tauranga said Boxing Day is typically a busy day for retail, so retailers are pushing the public out to take advantage of the “amazing savings” offered at their downtown Tauranga stores. He said he was looking forward to having fun.
It also offered a large and diverse range of cafes, bars and restaurants.
“Our hospitality department looks forward to providing the best dining options for people coming to the city center.
“Whether people come to the city center to shop, dine, relax on the waterfront, or admire street art, downtown Tauranga’s business is ready, with a big smile and We are waiting for you with a great Boxing Day offer.”
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