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Winnipeg shoppers brave chilling temperatures for Boxing Day deals

Shoppers line up in front of Best Buy in St. James before 6 a.m. on Boxing Day despite the temperature, with the windchill dipping below -40 degrees celsius. Kevin Hirschfield/Global News

Shoppers looking for Boxing Day bargains had to battle with more than just long lineups at 6 a.m, they also had to brave the bone-chilling temperatures.

But that didn’t stop close to 100 people from lining up outside Best Buy in St. James, looking for a steal of a deal.

The line outside the store, even with wind chill values dropping below -40, didn’t surprise store manager Fahad Al-Ani.

“It’s part of the culture,” Al-Ani said. “They want to line up with their friends and family and that’s always been a tradition.”

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Shopper Peter Power says he didn’t have much of a wishlist in mind, but gets into the Boxing Day spirit for the atmosphere.

“I don’t really know what I’m going to buy, just going to go for the fun,” said Power.

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Kulbeeb Waraich says he normally shops online, but the item he was hoping to purchase sold out, leading him to head outdoors.

“I’m buying a tablet for my daughter,” he said. “So I think it’s good that I’m here for her.”

Despite the emergence of online shopping and with some sales lasting for more than a week, stores and shopping centres say Boxing Day remains their busiest day of the year.

“For us, it’s one of the more important shopping days of the year,” said CF Polo Park General Manager Peter Havens. “We’re usually 80-100,000 (people) on Boxing Day, so I think we’ll be in that range this year.”

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