Uptown Shopping Centre was buzzing Friday as shoppers hunted for Boxing Day deals.
The Saanich retail hub was just one of several shopping centres in the capital region and across Canada opening their doors early and posting extra savings on goods and services.
Bargain hunters who weren’t broke after Christmas and still had the energy to shop, formed a modest line outside Future Shop at Uptown Friday as the electronics retailer opened at 6 a.m.
Kevin Ford, a father of three children, was pleased with the 55-inch Samsung TV he picked up for his new home in Oak Bay.
“Not bad at all,” Ford said, of the $500 in savings. Regularly priced at $1,499, the Smart TV was on sale for $999.
An online survey conducted in November by RetailMeNot.ca, which regularly conducts consumer behaviour surveys to examine the buying habits of Canadians, found Boxing Day is a favourite shopping occasion for 47 per cent of Canadians who planned to shop during the holiday. It showed 31 per cent of Canadians shop online during Boxing Day or Boxing Week to avoid the crowds.
The survey also found 67 per cent of Canadians think Boxing Day deals are better than Black Friday deals.
Brandon Fontaine of Victoria admits to not checking sales flyers before Christmas or Boxing Day when he headed to Future Shop in Saanich in search of a speaker system.
He picked up a wireless soundbar reduced by $100. That sounds good to him, but it wasn’t worth it to him to do that research before heading out. He needed a new soundbar anyway.
The average Canadian planned to spend $93 during Boxing Week — more than on Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas Eve, according to the online survey.
Still, the Boxing Day lineups and mayhem that once ensued on this retail day years ago were markedly absent on the streets of Victoria on Friday, either due to shopping fatigue, online shopping deals or Boxing Day sales that extend the week.
At the Bay Centre downtown, the mall’s underground parking lot was full at points and on-street parking was near impossible to find.
At other malls outside the core, parking lots were a little more accessible, but still brisk.
Fontaine said there were still too many shoppers out Friday morning for his liking.
Starbucks at Uptown enjoyed a steady stream of coffee drinkers, many notable for their lack of shopping bags, seemingly out on Boxing Day as much for conversation and socialization as window shopping for sale-priced items.
