Known in Western Christian churches as St. Stephen’s Day or the Feast of St. Stephen, December 26th was traditionally a day to distribute alms to the poor. This practice, over the years, transformed into the habit of bestowing Christmas gift boxes to tradesmen and servants, largely in Britain and the colonies. Nowadays, Boxing Day is less about generosity of spirit than it is about generosity of discounts by retailers.
In recent years, Boxing Day has come with some deep discounts and you could count on seeing shoppers lined up from early in the morning at big box stores across the country. The pandemic and the adoption of Black Friday and online shopping have made a serious dent in consumers enthusiasm for the one day shopping spree.
We hit the streets to ask local shoppers about their experience shopping this week.
Crystal told us hitting the shops during Boxing Week is something she does every year, but this year was a bust for her.
Howard said that it’s not been like it was in the past.
Howard and his wife were out looking for deals on Christmas ornaments and lights and they saw discounts in the neighbourhood of 50 percent on seasonal items.
According to Wendy, and especially this year, retailers should consider discounting non-traditional items.
For many retailers, Boxing Day has been one of the busy and most lucrative business days on their sales calendar. That may well have changed dramatically from the past, but if you’re out looking for a great deal on new tech items, kitchen gadgets electronics and winter apparel, there are some deals to be had. A quick check online shows deals of up to 75 percent on items from Amazon Canada, or if you’re into the “in-store” experience, Best Buy, Walmart and Staples all have deals on TVs, headphones and more.
Written by Joseph Goden
