KEY POINTS:
Shoppers flocked to new kid on the block, Westfield Albany, the country's newest and biggest mall, yesterday as attendants scuttled to help shoppers find that elusive car space among the 2500 available.
Krystal Graham, 19, with her 1-year-old son Cylias, and grandmother Karen Graham, had taken the trip from Silverdale to do a final, three hours of shopping.
"People are so rude and pushy, you can hear them talking in angry, stressed out voices," said Karen, but she also had a heart-warming tale of Christmas spirit to share.
"Yesterday, at Michael Hill Jewellers in Albany, I was sitting outside when a lovely Russian lady working there came out and said 'you look tired'. She went back inside and got me a coffee and I'd never seen her before in my life."
At Auckland's other megamall, Sylvia Park, cars circled the parking lot, while inside heaved with people.
Leon Ford, of the New Zealand Fire Service, was stationed just outside the Warehouse Extra.
He was doing a brisk trade in $10 calendars for 2008 featuring scantily-clad firemen to raise money for the Child Cancer Foundation.
Meanwhile, some business owners in Newmarket were pondering where the crowds were yesterday but sales were matching those of 2006 for most stores.
"It's patchy," said The Body Shop manager, Cara Aloia. "Either really dead or really busy... but I think people are going to malls much more this year."
Despite that, the Crocs store was flat out selling about 100 pairs a day, said store manager Stephanie Redhill.
Dick Smith Newmarket had been consistently busy since the end of November, said manager Jaydn De Graaf. While Bendon Lingerie had been busy on and off.
Store manager Brin Scordino said: "It's not like it used to be a few years ago, but I have to say I'm proud of the Kiwi men - they've done well this year. They know the sizes and they pick nice things for their wives or girlfriends."
At Glenfield Mall on Thursday, there were some retailer worries that Christmas customers had defected to the new Mega Centre just 10 minutes up the road. Roger Charlton, of Charlton Jeweller's, said foot traffic at Glenfield was down but sales were up on last year and retailers were all putting in massive hours with "the big rush hopefully yet to come".
