Boxing Day sales brisk in Metro Vancouver - but not for electronics

Neither snow nor rain nor bellies too full of turkey could dissuade Lower Mainland shoppers from buying themselves some holiday goodies at Boxing Day sales throughout the region Monday.

At the McArthurGlen outlet mall, shopper Doris Wong dressed for the wintry Vancouver conditions and said she was hoping to pick up more warm clothes at discount prices.

"We arrived at 8:30, but now we're in line again," she said. "It's busy, busier than I thought it'd be."

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Stats Canada says clothing sales have climbed on Boxing Day in four of the last five years, while electronics sales, which used to be the main attraction on Dec. 26, have declined.

McArthurGlen marketing manager Ally Day says Boxing Day sales have been strong for the past few years at malls.

Day said many shoppers still want to try things on, feel the fabrics they're buying, or enjoy the experience of shopping for clothes in a store.

"It's the biggest retail day of the year for us and many other shopping centres," she said. "We're expecting to see a significant increase in shoppers over last year. … A third more, at least."

Retail expert David Ian Gray says the popularity of online shopping has caused electronic sales to decline on Boxing Day.

With electronics, Gray said, buying online is often easier because consumers know exactly what they're going to get, unlike clothing, for which sales have grown "for guys and girls, especially at younger ages.

"And Boxing Day [shopping] is a young person's sport," he said.

The trend played itself out at the Best Buy on Vancouver's Granville Street, which was nearly empty Monday with only a handful of people hunting for deals inside.

"It's pretty dead actually," shopper Remero Colston said. "I'm glad I came at this time because I just came right in and I'm going to walk right out."

With files from Kamil Karamali