The Christmas rush is on in Wanganui - with more instore purchases during November than at the corresponding time last year.
Data released by Paymark for November shows 3.6 per cent more transactions than in November 2013, the company's transactions hitting the one million mark in the Wanganui region.
Spending value also increased for November this year by 0.5 per cent, shoppers spending $41.4million in the region.
Country Lane Originals owner Tracy Hawker said she had noticed customers scrambling to get their shopping done in the lead-up to a fast-approaching Christmas.
"Christmas has come upon everyone faster than we all thought, you know. I knew it was here because of the shop but, for others, it has snuck up on them.
"Because of that and the bad weather, it has been a slow start [to Christmas spending]. This weekend has been huge, however, and there have been lots of people out shopping."
Ms Hawker said she hoped things would improve as December 25 edged closer.
"We are hoping and praying for a profitable Christmas. We have stocked up for Christmas and so far had lots of out-of-towners coming through which has been fantastic, but we are expecting it to get much busier in the next few weeks."
Figures released by Paymark showed a national spending increase of 4.9 per cent in the first week of December but it was well below the 8.6 per cent growth rate recorded during the corresponding time in 2013.
Paymark head of customer relations Mark Spicer said he and his company had expected a much higher spending growth rate.
"This is somewhere below what we would expect and is possibly due to a number of factors, a cooler start to the summer for one. It has been the coldest in a decade. Secondly, there is a growing trend towards shopping online instead of at traditional bricks and mortar, and given those two activities coupled with lower fuel prices we have not seen the strength in spending increase that we would expect."
Despite challenges from the online market, a substantial rise in spending was expected in the coming weeks, said Mr Spicer.
"Accommodation and spending on food and beverage are certainly areas that are benefiting and in particular food and beverage as we come into the next few weeks ... Throw into that mix hardware, building and garden supplies - obviously springtime is a good time for Kiwis to get out and do some DIY."