KEY POINTS:
It was as though Christmas had never happened for many Boxing Day shoppers at Auckland's Sylvia Park megamall yesterday.
After a day's respite from the Christmas spending frenzy, Aucklanders and their visitors were back for more at shopping centres, although most appeared more relaxed than in the countdown to the big day itself.
Bronwyn Hetaraka of Mangere and her 10-year-old son, Bailey, arrived at The Warehouse Extra superstore soon after it opened at 8am for some last-minute shopping for a camping holiday in the Far North, to find few immediate rivals.
Only when they were leaving almost two hours later with a trolley full of provisions, including a half-price chocolate giftbox and rolls of wrapping paper for next Christmas, did they run into crowds starting to stream the other way from the bright sunshine.
By 1pm, mall management es-timated that about 2500 of its 2700 carparks were occupied, and it was confident of achieving its best trading day since the opening rush in June.
Craig and Michelle Boyle of Remuera and their sons Hamish, 13, and Joshua, 15, were other early birds found beating a retreat by the time most other shoppers began pouring in.
The boys had scored a 30 per cent discount on a basketball net and Mr Boyle found a similar deal on a wetsuit he was eager to take surfing.
"I am not a great shopper but we've just managed to beat the crowds - it's starting to heat up, so it's time to leave with our bargains," he said.
Some of the briskest early trade was at Michael Hill Jeweller, where customers clustered elbow-to-elbow, lured by the promise of 50 per cent off every item on display.
Vitus Fernandes and his wife, Arca, with trolleys full of household and garden goods on their second Boxing Day since arriving from Dubai, said they would keep looking for bargains "as long as the credit card is not crying for help".
But a contender for the "Zen and the Art of Shopping" prize must surely be Sonny Rangi, up from Wellington for his daughter's wedding, but caught sitting and relaxing with a good book in the midst of the mall mayhem.
"I've sent my shopping ahead of me - in the form of my wife."
At St Lukes, a mob of 120 shoppers queued outside K-Mart before the 9am opening.
Russell Sinclair, Retailers Association northern regional manager, thought Boxing Day would prove bigger than any day before Christmas.
Many stores were reaping the rewards of their advertising.
"Kiwis love a bargain and they were out proving it."
Mr Sinclair had been shopping in Newmarket, Mt Wellington and Botany Downs yesterday where he picked up a new outdoor umbrella, serving plates and a memory card for his camera all at reduced prices.
He said all the centres were busy with carparks stretched to capacity.
"They were chock-a-block with queues to get in."
Linda Trainer, national marketing manager Westfield, had heard from centres around the country that the sales had gone very well.
She said major retailers were in sale mode and Boxing Day appeared to be continuing its popularity.
Cameron Brewer, Newmarket Business Association general manager, said feedback from retailers there was that sales were up from last year.
Mr Brewer said some stores like Country Road had had people queuing to get in and others like European fashion stockist Saks had got into Boxing Day sales for the first time after almost 30 years on Broadway.
