Christmas spending in the Bay of Plenty is up 2.5 per cent on the first two weeks of last December, with one Tauranga retailer calling it the most buoyant Christmas ever.
Nationally, the country spent $117.5million on Eftpos machines in the first two weeks of December, up 4.4 per cent on last year.
Retailers spoken to by the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend largely said Christmas trading was much improved on last year, as $127.9 million went through Bay of Plenty tills in the first two weeks of December.
Mainstreet Tauranga manager Kirby Weis said serious Christmas shopping started after the general election and had ramped up since.
"The feedback I have been receiving is that for stores which tend to have more of a Christmas trade, it's definitely better than last year," Mr Weis said.
"In saying that last year was a very difficult year."
He expected the next week to be busy, especially Thursday and Friday for the panic shopping.
The average spend for each present was about $50 to $65.
"People are more focusing on getting into the true spirit of Christmas.
"It's not the amount you spend, it's the thought you have put into it and lovely gift wrapping and being with family," Mr Weis said.
Bayfair Shopping Centre has experienced an increase in foot traffic compared with the first two weeks of December 2010.
Marketing manager Nina Rivett said she expected the increase to continue until Christmas, peaking on Boxing Day which was the busiest day of the year for the centre.
"Christmas Eve falls on a Saturday this year, so this could well be our busiest day before Christmas," Ms Rivett said.
Tauranga retailer Val Auld, of gift shop Cabbages & Kings, said Christmas trade had been very busy and the store was bracing itself for the last week of shopping.
"It's going very well. I would say things are as buoyant as they have ever been at Christmas," Mrs Auld said.
Shoppers appeared more relaxed this year and "not at all stressed".
"I think they have decided they are going to enjoy it. It's been a miserable year for some people."
Hot Ginger on Grey St has also experienced a good run-up to Christmas, with owner Chris Montgomerie describing it as fantastic and amazing.
Last year, she said, was a lot tougher.
"I think people are getting on with it, they are fed up with the doom and gloom," Mrs Montgomerie said. "November has been quite good. It's been steadily picking up. People are in a good happy mood, it's nice."
The average spend had been $30 to $40, and popular gifts had been handbags and bright jewellery.
In Mount Maunganui, Mount Mainstreet manager Leanne Brown said Christmas shopping had picked up after a dreadful October for retail, a result of a combination of the Rugby World Cup and Rena oil spill.
"If it wasn't for the cruise ships our retailers would have had a really bad October. From the beginning of November things have gradually started to pick up," Ms Brown said.
"Speaking to most retailers, [business] has started to pick up to what you would expect it to be at this time of year.
"Some people are doing extremely well."
A spate of wet weather had not done any favours for downtown the Mount, Mrs Brown said.
Jane Debenham, manager of Paper Plus Mount Maunganui, was very positive after a good start to the festive season.
"We are finding it very good. We have found Christmas trading to be better than last year."
"They are not buying [inferior quality] stuff. They are buying books and things of educational value. Gone are the socks and hankies."
At Fashion Island in Papamoa, centre manager Jane Spearman said retailers had said their trade had been steadily improving.
"I don't think it's peaked yet, but it's building," Ms Spearman said. "People are being a bit choosy but they are still spending. They might not be spending as much as last year but they are still purchasing presents."
Paymark spokesman Phil Deason said the company was optimistic for a good finish to the year: "At this time last year we saw that Kiwis started the first days of December with a shopping blitz, then things fizzled out a bit over the next week or so. These [new] figures show that things are a bit more consistent than last year."