Holiday shoppers still busy looking for last minute gifts

Pre-Christmas shopping blitz Shops and malls in Ottawa are packed, as last-minute shoppers cross off items from their holiday shopping lists. Katelyn Wilson reports.

The final stretch of the holidays is here as malls were packed Saturday with last minute shoppers checking off their lists.

Many flocking to Tanger Outlets in Ottawa, a haven for savvy shoppers looking to save big.

"We've scaled back on Christmas and my son wanted a particular hoodie and this is where I came to get it so I'm happy," said shopper Angele Duval.

According to one retail expert, some of the themes this year include thrifting gifts and using apps like Temu to hunt for deals.

"Inflation is finally down but you know it's up in a few categories," said retail analyst, Bruce Winder. "There are a lot of headwinds against consumers right now so they're really waiting for deals."

"A lot of retailers have started their Boxing Day clearance already. They know the consumer's looking for deals and they want to capture that traffic and those sales leading up to the 25th of December."

Despite more people looking for deals this year, overall spending is expected to increase 10 per cent over last year, for an average of $1,478, according to the 2024 Deloitte Holiday Retail Outlook.

Forty-three per cent of people also say they're taking advantage of shopping from the comforts of home.

"Most of our shopping has been done online this year. This is our first time actually hitting up the stores," said Ally, who was shopping with her daughter.

Now that the gifts are bought, many are now focusing on holiday plans, whether it's hitting the road or staying close to home.

"We're just going to have some friends over for a family dinner and that's it, nothing big this year," said shopper Adrian Alexander.