Some London retailers see smaller turnout boxing day, amid COVID-19

London, Ont. -

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)