Christmas shoppers set to give stores their busiest day of the year

“Just don’t wait”, said Bowling.

“It’s a happy time of year”, Rogers said. Others say it was all about waiting for that paycheck.

The next big shopping day will be the day after Christmas.

“I just like the excitement”. “That’s all I can say”.

She’s out shopping with her sister Tiera Cobb and her friend Nicole Jordan.

Kenny Church was shopping with his five-year-old, Khalil. “And I had a work yesterday”.

Walking up Queen St today, nearly every retail store had banners in their windows promoting their discounts – the posters put up Christmas Eve night in preparation for the swarms of shoppers on Boxing Day.

“The warm weather, I think, had a little something to do with it. People had a little bit of a hard time getting into Christmas mode”, said co-owner Stephanie Greanias. Others said it was all about available funds. “That’s what I’ve enjoyed most about coming back home”.

Although the mall was busy mall management told me that the Saturday before Christmas is actually the busiest day of the entire year.

It’s Christmas Eve, and if you need to finish or maybe even start your shopping, the clock is ticking as stores close early Thursday.

They are called last minute shoppers and some are proud of the title.

With festive plans with loved ones set for tomorrow, many said they were glad to still find deals leading right up to Christmas day.

For Tosha Jones and her friends, it’s a chance to wrap it all up.

Thursday was Christmas Eve, so naturally shoppers chose the day before Christmas to hit the mall.

However, the hours for department stores vary. Walgreens Stores also will be open from 8 a.m.to 10 p.m., with 24-hour stores not closing at all, a company spokesperson said. All of those chains are closed Christmas Day.

Mastercard New Zealand manager Peter Chisnall said Boxing Day sales were a popular time to shop for Kiwis, who tended to purchase items for themselves or large appliances.

Record numbers of consumers are expected to spend “a significant proportion” of their Christmas Day shopping online, either to take advantage of the sales or return unwanted gifts.