a line of shoppers outside of Best Buy on Boxing Day (Tiffany Goodwein/CHATNewsToday)

By Tiffany Goodwein

Boxing day sees steady shopping for some retailers

Dec 26, 2020 | 7:04 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB- Shoppers eager to score a Boxing day deal made their way to the stores on Saturday. Lines were prevalent at big box retailers like Best Buy and Visions Electronics with people waiting outside to buy items.

“ It’s moving pretty fast. We are almost in. We were pretty far back ,” said one shopper named Easton who was with his brother and on the hunt for a keyboard and other PC accessories.

“ We are looking for a sound bar,” said one couple in line at Best Buy.

For them, the lure of the deal is what drew them to come. The sound bar that they are considering came at a 38 per cent savings.

Shoppers on Boxing Day looking to get their plant fix at Botanicals, a new store downtown (Tiffany Goodwein/CHATNewsToday)

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Over at Botanicals in downtown Medicine Hat, they too saw people waiting in line to get their plant fix. Botanicals opened this summer, specializing in succulents and house plants and this year was their first-ever Boxing day experience.

“It was really good, considering the weather I thought that might hinder things a little bit for us but no it was a really good turnout, and a steady stream of people all day,” said owner Karri Montean.

Only three people are allowed in the store due to COVID-19 restrictions, meaning many arriving at the same time, had to wait.

Montean believes the appeal of plants at the moment largely has to due with many people staying at home.

“ I think there’s a plant trend right now for sure and especially with COVID-19 I think people are spending more time at home. It’s kind of a mix between a hobby and decor,” she said.

But not all retailers were seeing the shoppers pour in.

Over at Shut up n wear it, staff said this boxing day has been slower than years past. The store sells trendy clothing for women, and this year their deals included 15 per cent off the entire store and 40 per cent off the popular brand DEX.

“ This whole year after the pandemic has been slow. We are down about 40 per cent in sales . So with that we are worried about what the next year is going to bring, but it is definatly really important to support local right now,” said sales associate Tori Borra.

For Borra, she has seen her hours adjusted from five days a week, to only three days on some weeks due to the slow state of business.

“It sucks but you have to work through it I guess. I do have another job so it helps out,” she said.