Boxing Day isn't the only sale of the year and doesn't even always offer the cheapest prices. Photo / 123RF
Boxing Day isn't the only sale of the year and doesn't even always offer the cheapest prices. Photo / 123RF
Whether it’s happy shoppers secretly donating money or customers chuffed to no longer be down in the financial dumps, Bay of Plenty retailers say turnover has been an unexpected boomer.
Bumper-to-bumper carparks and Eftpos machines crashing didn’t take the spring out of the steps of thousands of Boxing Day shoppers.
Maz, Sonny and Fran from Kings & Queens at Bayfair Shopping Centre enjoy a busy Boxing Day.
The owner of Kings & Queens jewellery store, who wanted only his first name Maz published, said his Rotorua and Mount Maunganui stores at Bayfair Shopping Centre and Rotorua Central had experienced a huge boost in sales in the lead-up to Christmas as well as today on Boxing Day.
He said Christmas Eve sales figures were 72% higher than Christmas Eve last year and he was expecting Boxing Day’s figures to achieve similar results.
He said the drop in interest rates was a big driver to make shoppers feel more confident.
“The drop in inflation too is one of the biggest points.”
He had six staff working today and both stores were open until 9pm.
“Today we are expecting the same massive increases.”
Tuning into happiness
Rotorua Rockshop manager Richard Anaru said it was great to see customers back but the biggest delight was noticing how everyone seemed happy.
“We have never seen that before to that extent. People are usually stressed and rushing but everyone was happy. It was like they wanted to forget about what has happened throughout the year, they had some money and just wanted to celebrate and concentrate on family time.”
He said staff were back at it today and were looking forward to offering some storewide deals for those keen on musical instruments and products.
“The company has worked hard on keeping the prices down and for the Boxing Day sales have been able to offer 15% off.”
Mariam Yousif enjoys a day of Boxing Day shopping in Rotorua. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Not even Eftpos machine issues at Farmers in Rotorua today could bring down the mood of happy Boxing Day shoppers.
Mariam Yousif from Sydney was in Rotorua staying with her cousin for Christmas and went to Farmers in Rotorua Central to cash in on the bargains.
Thankfully she had some cash for her purchases but she said the lines of customers were understanding.
“A lot of people just put their things on hold or went to the money machine. The people were fine and just seemed happy. Kiwis are so understanding. I think everyone was just excited for the sales.”
Jacqui Warbrick from Grace & Harmony – a fashion, shoes and gifts boutique store in Rotorua – said they were so thrilled with the support in Rotorua during the lead-up to Christmas, she threw in an offer of 50% off all shoes for a Boxing Day sale.
Warbrick, who is based in Te Puke, manages the Rotorua store for the Auckland owner and said business confidence couldn’t be better.
“I could have gone anywhere with the store but I love Rotorua and believe in it. I know it gets a bad rap every now and then, but it’s the most beautiful city with beautiful gardens and things are really picking up.”
This year, she took a hard look at their products and changed the stocking of some lines which had helped with Rotorua’s success.
“Everyone is watching their pennies so we have had to adapt.”
Instead of stocking so many expensive lines, they’ve gone with more mid-range but still good-quality brands.
She said that based on the success of the Rotorua Grace & Harmony store, she opened a “pop-up” outlet in Tirau to capture the Auckland traffic heading south. Today was the opening and it will be there until about March.
“We sold 15 pairs of shoes in the first 10 minutes of opening.”
Staff at North Beach in Mount Maunganui have a busy Boxing Day.
North Beach Mount Maunganui store manager Gabi Sutton said all 37 staff members were rostered on for Boxing Day to cover the hordes of shoppers cashing in on the store’s 20% off big brands deal.
She said the added staff covered the Boxing Day hours of 8am until 7pm and while it was always a “bit sad” hearing about friends who had time off work, the staff knew that’s how it worked in the retail industry.
“When things get cranking and it’s super busy, it’s actually quite fun.”
Happiness overload in checkout queue
Rotorua mother Brooke Anastasiadis was on the receiving end of some Christmas cheer when she was waiting in line at the busy Woolworths supermarket on Fairy Springs Rd just before Christmas.
“I was already having a tough day with my children as they’re very energetic and naughty ... I normally don’t do shopping on a Monday night but suddenly decided to change my routine. I didn’t want to go considering the stressful day I had with trying to afford Christmas and keep my kids out of trouble but something in me was telling me I should, so I did.”
She struggled to keep her 5-year-old daughter occupied while waiting in the long line at the end.
“I decided to crack some jokes. The couple in front of me laughed and carried on putting their groceries on the counter.”
They didn’t say anything to Anastasiadis but when she went to pay, the checkout operator said she only had to pay about $40 as the rest – more than $100 worth - had been paid for by the couple ahead of her.
“I was in shock, I started tearing up. They didn’t tell me that’s what they were doing and unfortunately, I didn’t make it out in time to give them a big thanks.”
She said she felt so grateful she “paid it forward” to the person in the queue behind her by paying for their $30-odd groceries.
”It was definitely something I didn’t expect but it’s something that’ll always stick with me. They were 100% a blessing.”
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
