Spare change was nowhere to be found before Christmas, leaving many retailers quieter than usual but since Boxing Day the streets have been filled with people looking for a bargain.
The Bay News talked to retailers in Bayfair, downtown Tauranga and Mount Maunganui to see whether people are opening their wallets.
BayfairCentre manager Andrew Wadsworth said before Christmas was very quiet but the number of people now shopping had increased and they were pretty much on par with the sales from last year.
Boxing Day saw 31,000 through the doors, which was two per cent up on last year, with the following days also busier.
On Tuesday December 28, an extra 3500 people visited compared to the same day in 2009.
"The bad weather has been driving people to the shops a bit and helped strong trading. We are expecting it to stay busy until mid January.
"Feedback from a lot of our retailers has been mixed. Some say people are browsing, others are saying people are spending.
"Times are tough and people are out for a bargain. If they can get it, they will buy."
Stores have sale signs plastered across their windows with New Year sales hoping to draw the crowds.
Mount Maunganui Paper Plus manager Jane Debenham said they were also very quiet before Christmas but with New Year it has been steady.
Compared to this time last year, they are neck and neck with figures, she said.
"We have had to bring in double the number of staff over this period to help and expect the rush to last until the end of January."
It is not only the sales bringing in the buyers.
Jane said the cruise ships had brought in a significant number of shoppers. They had been berthing on a regular basis .Retailers in Tauranga have also noticed a difference.
Diana Dreaver, manager of Hannahs on Devonport Rd said, "We have definitely noticed a big difference each time a large cruise ship comes through.
"There are the tourists coming though here buying a lot," she said.
Diana said people still want to be fashionable, so although there will be quieter periods a busy period usually follows with summer shoppers catching up on the latest fashions.
