Shoppers have been out in force in Rotorua for Boxing Day. Photo / File
Shoppers have been out in force in Rotorua for Boxing Day. Photo / File
With the Christmas ham demolished and gifts distributed, attention turned to the Boxing Day sales in Rotorua.
Rotorua Central Mall general manager Peter Faulkner described the Boxing Day atmosphere at the mall as "manic".
"We went in through town, had a coffee at Capers and thought it was reasonably quietbut we got to the mall and I've never seen the car park so busy," he said.
"I think it's a combination of things. The retailers are putting on some good sales and that is attracting a lot of attention. It's a continuation of a strong interest in going out and getting some retail therapy."
He said, as far as the mall was concerned, the bounce back from the Covid-19 lockdown was "certainly happening".
"The mall has a domestic orientation and there's probably a mix of domestic tourists as well. People just want to make sure they don't miss out on the bargains.
"Generally the week before Christmas is pretty busy but just looking at the car park today I'd say this year it's full on and possibly busier than the lead-up."
Rotorua Central general manager Peter Faulkner. Photo / File
Faulkner said there was a good vibe at the mall, everyone seemed to be shopping in good spirit.
An Ahu Boutique worker said business at the Eruera St store had been steady all day.
"Not busy, busy but steady," she said.
Speaking earlier in the week, designer and Ahu Boutique owner Adrienne Whitewood said she was twice as busy compared to last Christmas and people were more thoughtful around their gift-buying.
"They're spending a lot more time in-store, thinking about their purchases," she said.
Designer and Ahu Boutique owner Adrienne Whitewood (left) and partner Hoete Mitai-Ngatai. Photo / File
Whitewood said online shopping demand had also been through the roof, which was exasperated by now having two websites.
Retail NZ chief executive Greg Harford said, from what he had heard, Boxing Day had been steady and busy for most retailers.
"I think that's a continuation of a trend we've seen with things like the Black Friday sales being strong and people being keen to get out there and shop," he said.
"One of the key things going on is New Zealanders can't travel anywhere overseas at the moment so we're staying at home. At the same time, we have money to spend which we may have otherwise spent on a holiday and we're feeling a little bit wealthier because house prices have gone up and interest rates are relatively low.
Harford said Boxing Day was usually the second or third busiest day for retailers throughout the country.
"It kind of jockeys for position with Black Friday, so it will be right up there, and Christmas Eve is normally the busiest day of the year."
According to Paymark, as of 2pm on Christmas Eve Kiwi consumers had already spent more than $166 million.
At 12.30pm, there was a peak of 204 transactions per second. The previous record was 188 transactions per second (the daily average is usually about 60 transactions per second).
Paymark chief executive Maxine Elliott said this was a new record for the number of transactions per second the Paymark network has ever processed.
"Christmas Eve always gives the network a good workout and we work hard to ensure the retail network is fully operational throughout the busiest shopping period of the year."
