After the Christmas presents were opened and the turkey was eaten, holiday revelers in the Tri-Cities turned their attention to another holiday tradition: Boxing Day bargain hunting.
Lineups began at 11 p.m. on Dec. 25 outside Coquitlam Centre and electronic retailers like Best Buy and Future Shop with people hoping to stay one step ahead of their fellow shoppers.
"I had customers lined up outside my door at 3 a.m.," said Clark Boysen, the manager of Old Navy at Coquitlam Centre. "We opened at 6 a.m. with a video camera giveaway."
The busiest time of the day for Boysen was between 1 and 2 p.m. when 800 people came through the door and by the time the mall closed 7,000 customers had made purchases at his location.
But while the number of frenzied Boxing Day shoppers was consistent with past years, he said most customers were calm and orderly when entering the store.
"It seemed very laid back this year," he said. "It was similar in sales to last year but the vibe was a bit more relaxed."
He added that sales are expected to be brisk until the new year as Boxing Day for many stores now lasts about a week.
However, it is not just larger retailers that are taking advantage of the shopping tradition.
Jason Van Bergen, the owner of Corner Sports in Port Coquitlam, said he may not have the advertising budget of a national chain but he is still offering large discounts.
Generally with Boxing Day, shoppers hit the large malls first and he expects to see his customer traffic pickup later in the week. Still, he said he is seeing between 100 to 150 people per day coming to his downtown Port Coquitlam sports store.
"We, as a small business, have nowhere near the marketing clout as some of the big boys," he said. "But ironically enough our deals are probably better."
Some of the more popular items this winter are skis, snowboards and ice skates, he said.
For Rhys Pickup, the general manager of Westwood Cycle, Boxing Day is a time to clear out some old items and make way for new stock.
With rainy winter weather across the Lower Mainland bicycling is not usually top of mind for most holiday shoppers, he said. Their business generally picks up in the spring, but that does not mean there are not still a few deals available for those already thinking about the summer biking season.
"We were definitely busier than last year," he said. "This year we put a bit more into it... but the summer is still where we put most of our effort."
