Christmas tills are ringing hot

Christmas shopping at Westfield Mall, Albany. Photo / Dean Purcell

Stores are bursting at the seams in the lead up to Christmas as last minute shoppers make their final dash.

Debra McGhie, spokeswoman at mall operator Westfield, said there had been a huge increase in shoppers since primary schools finished last Friday.

"Christmas has arrived," she said, "we've been very busy."

Alongside Santa and a giant Christmas tree, Westfield deployed helper elves to assist customers with parking and help shoppers on their way through the mall.

Sylvia Park Shopping Centre has been busy too. Spokesperson Lauren Riley said the Mt Wellington mall had a steady flow of customers in all the stores.

More than $2.6 billion has been spent at Eftpos terminals since the beginning of December and more than $1 billion in Auckland alone.

Spending is up 7 per cent on 2015 and yesterday's Eftpos sales exceeded last year's Christmas eve, said Paymark spokesperson Paul Brislen.

It's not just Auckland: Shoppers across the country are spending up large on gifts.
"It's pretty manic out there," said Greg Harford of the Retail NZ, "we're on track for a record Christmas spend this year."

"It's been amazing."

Harford said Wellington was swamped with last-minute shoppers. More than $250 million was spent in the Capital in the first two weeks of this month, a 5.3 per cent lift on the previous year.

Canterbury is also performing well with $292m spent - a 2.7 per cent increase.

The Warehouse, on the other hand, issued a statement on the NZX website net profit for the first half of the year was expected to be between 10 per cent - 15 per cent lower than the same period last year.

The company cited margin pressure in the face of an increasingly competitive retail environment as the reason behind the fall.

Westfield has extended its opening hours until midnight at St Lukes and Manakau starting from tomorrow - and McGhie suggests skipping the lunchtime rush and heading in after dinner for a quieter shopping experience.

"We haven't done midnight in those two centres for quite some time but there seems to be a demand for it so we've chosen to go those three nights in that last week running up to Christmas eve," McGhie said.

"With Christmas falling on the weekend it always shifts things because people have that extra Saturday if they haven't gone away, especially for people who leave it to the last minute," she said.

"That's one of the reasons why we do extend the trading hours is to get people to come in to do that later in the evenings."

Sylvia Park, in Mt Wellington, has also extended its opening hours until midnight in the lead up to Christmas.

Harford said the busiest time is yet to come in what could be a record Christmas Eve.

"Christmas Eve is always the busiest day of the year," he said, "and in New Zealand we have people doubling up with summer shopping for their holidays and DIY."

Staff were "flat out" Harford said, but customers were being patient and understanding.

At Westfield, staff haven't had any issues with customers to speak of.

"It's the spirit of Christmas," said McGhie, "people are being very friendly"

• This article originally said The Warehouse sales had been down on the previous year by around 10 to 15 per cent. This is incorrect.