Some London retailers see smaller turnout boxing day, amid COVID-19
With limited capacity on the number of people allowed in stores in Ontario some retailers say it’s been slower this season.
Depending on where you were shopping in London, some people found themselves escaping the crowds and congestion, while others had to wait in long lineups.
Esraa Ghanam works as a sales associate at White Oaks Mall. She says Boxing Day was different this year with more people showing up later in the day compared to the usual morning rush.
“I don’t think it was as busy as what we are normally used to,” said Ghanam. “The capacity didn’t really slow us down but because of the situation we’ve been handed with, with COVID we definitely see a smaller turn out in general.”
Compared to this time last year when many businesses could only offer to pick up to customers, this year is seen as an improvement.
At Best Buy on Wellington Road, one shopper told CTV News she was expecting more traffic and long line-ups outside the store.
“We actually parked at white oaks mall, I just thought it would be easier to walk to best buy and browse here first before we went to the mall after, and surprisingly there were plenty of parking spots.”
“I came to buy a webcam actually, and with the bigger variant out there
now it’s just better to stay home and have a webcam night,” said one shopper.
Boxing Day shoppers at the Best Buy on Wellington Road in London, Ont. on Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021. (Jennifer Basa/CTV London)
While others are choosing to stay at home and shop online instead.
“People have gotten used to shopping online, they like shopping online, it's safer,” said retail expert Bruce Winder.
According to Winder, the increase in cases from the omicron variant may play a role in the turn-out retailers see this week.
“If there’s ever a Boxing Day to stay home and buy online, this is it,” he said.
In addition to global supply chain issues which has led to shipping delays for some.
“The big companies are going to do pretty well this season because they had inventory. The small/medium-sized companies are going to have a bit of a harder time because they don’t have that flexibility and nimbleness in their supply chain,” said Winder.
With the pandemic, Winder says it’s difficult to predict what next year will look like, as consumers are shopping online now more than ever.
“When this is all over some people will go back to shopping in-store because people like shopping in stores but a lot of it is going to go back to e-commerce,” he said.
Best Buy on Wellington Road in London, Ont. on Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021. (Jennifer Basa/CTV London)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.