While Christmas is officially over for the year, many take Dec. 26 as an opportunity to snatch up some deals on items like electronics, clothing and appliances.
Several Lethbridge businesses put out special pricing for Boxing Day to entice shoppers through the end of 2022.
“For us Boxing Day is probably the biggest day of the year,” said Visions Electronics manager Owen Kress. “I think we wanted a little bit busier but it still was a good day for us, so I don’t think anybody is upset with how it turned out.”
Kress believes recent inflation could have played a role in the slightly slower-than-expected sales, along with no travel restrictions for cross-border travel, meaning potential shoppers are out-of-town on trips they’ve been saving for.
In 2021, COVID-19 health restrictions affected several aspects of the holidays for Canadians.
“We do have lots of sales going still and most of them are going till Thursday, I believe,” Kress added.
At a local downtown shop, The King of Trade, their one-day 20 per cent off sale created a boom for business Monday. According to purchasing manager Alex Kindrachuk, it was one of their top Boxing Days in recent years.
“It was like a zoo here but it was awesome. People were really happy,” he said.
“I think a lot of people do the online stuff but we’ve just been bringing in cool stuff, listening to what people are kind of looking for an trying to deliver on that.”
One of their most popular sellers has been music with many also coming in to trade their own collections.
“The biggest one I think for us this year is vinyl — people were really loving all the new vinyl that we’ve brought in. It’s been pretty fun.”
Kristopher Bryan, partner at Silla Designs, said they also try to bring in unique items.
This year, he noticed November was slower than usual, with more last-minute shoppers during December.
“Last year people were out because of COVID early, and not knowing if things were going to shut down again,” Bryan said.
He suspects January will be a slower month for business but they will already be ordering products for next Christmas.
“It was a successful year (and) we’re really lucky to have people support us.”
When it comes to the service industry, the return of News Year’s Eve events are just days away. It’s something the Owl Acoustic Lounge has been looking forward to for years, as they look to host their first ticketed NYE drag show on the 31st.
Headlining the event is Canada’s Drag Race finalist Kendall Gender, a well-known Vancouver-based artist.
“Obviously the last few New Year’s Eves have been a little trickier with the pandemic so we’re really excited to have a big New Year’s Ever party here at the new spot, which is a little bit bigger, a little more of a dance floor area for folks as well,” said part-owner Steven Foord, who is hopeful for a full house at their 147-person capacity venue.
“It’s getting people back to being accustomed and comfortable coming out to a space with a lot of people,” he added.