Boxing Day bust: Many Canadians chose to avoid the malls this year
Boxing Day is traditionally the biggest sale event in Canada, but with more frequent discount days and the increasing presence of online shopping, it appears more Canadians are choosing to avoid the malls altogether.
Instead of photos and videos of massive lineups flooding our timelines as shoppers brave the crowds for a bargain, this year, most posts were from people asking if a trip to the mall was even worth it.
A Reddit post on r/Vancouver told people not to go out on Boxing Day, and many comments echoed that sentiment.
“Been this way for a lot of places. Boxing Day sales look suspiciously similar to Black Friday sales, which never stopped, and won’t before Jan 1,” a user wrote.
“Yeah dont. I woke up at 4 am.. 3 years ago…drove to Tsawwassen… waited in the line for the nike outlets for 4 hours and it was NOT worth the wait. Just stick to online sales …” another said.
“Used to do this when it was fun and decent sales. Now it’s a “f this” attitude. Not worth it at all since online shopping kicked off and sales are throughout the year,” someone else replied.
Across the country, it appeared Canadians felt similar. Boxing Day was relatively quiet in Calgary, with reports that the city’s major malls were “manageable.”
I love Boxing Day shopping but I'm staying home today. I don't think there's much in store that can't be ordered online nowadays.
— Matt McQueen (@mattmcqueen) December 26, 2023
In Edmonton, many commenters on the r/Edmonton subreddit reported shops as being “quiet,” though West Edmonton Mall was said to be getting busy later in the afternoon.
Still, Edmontonians echoed what others across were saying when it came to Boxing Day deals.
“Back before online shopping, I remember the malls being wild with lines on Boxing Day, up and early, good luck finding parking. I feel like it’s probably super tame now tho,” one Edmontonian wrote.
Despite the lack of Boxing Day hype, Canadian malls still saw massive lineups and crowds, with shoppers patiently waiting to get their hands on the biggest electronics, apparel and jewellery deals.
Hundreds of people lined up extra early outside the Toronto Premium Outlets to check out the Boxing Day sales, with many lined up as early as 5:15 am.
People were lined up from 5 AM at Toronto Premium Outlets in Milton, ON for some Boxing Day discounts. Did any of you guys reach there today? Let me know how busy it was. pic.twitter.com/pCBHLYx0yi
— Hussein E (@therealhebrahim) December 26, 2023
Did you go to the mall on Boxing Day? Let us know in the comments.
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