Thousands of Illawarra residents left their Christmas shopping until the last minute, with centres across the region crowded right up until the shops shut on Wednesday night.
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At Shellharbour Square, seafood was the product of choice on Christmas Eve with dozens of people lining the counter to secure prawns, fish and lobsters for the big day.
‘‘Seafood is certainly in demand, but this gives you an idea about the volume of people coming through the centre,’’ centre manager Daniel Buchanan said.
He said shops had reported having ‘‘their best ever week’’ in the lead-up to Christmas.
‘‘It’s been a really strong Christmas for us: I’ve been out on the floor talking to a lot of the guys and they’re very positive and happy with sales this year,’’ he said.
‘‘Our numbers on traffic are up significantly on previous years – I hope that’s reflective of growth everywhere, but we’ve certainly had good growth here.
‘‘Toys are always in demand. In Kmart there were areas of the toy shelves that were getting pretty sparse. And surprisingly enough, apparel has been going well – even though people don’t normally buy clothes for other people – so I think there might be a lot of people out there buying little Christmas presents for themselves too.’’
As Shellharbour is classified as ‘‘regional’’, Stockland will be open on Friday. Wollongong is considered metropolitan, which means most shops are banned from trading on Boxing Day.
Mr Buchanan expected crowds to line up early to grab a bargain.
‘‘Last year we got to the point where it was shoulder to shoulder in the mall, and I think the people who come to shop on a day like that relish and anticipate that experience,’’ he said. ‘‘Based on our Christmas period to date I’d say it will be all that and more.’’
Australian shoppers will splurge more than $2billion on retail therapy if Boxing Day sale predictions pan out.
Retailers expect tills around the country to ring up more than $16billion over the next three weeks, including a $2.072billion boon on Boxing Day alone.
Victorians will lead the post-Christmas shopping binge, says the Australian Retailers Association, spending about $682million on Boxing Day. NSW is expected to fork out $584million.
Association executive director Russell Zimmerman slammed ‘‘ludicrous’’ regulations preventing shops outside Sydney’s CBD from opening their doors early on Boxing Day.
‘‘NSW is Australia’s most populous state, and yet Victoria easily takes the cake when it comes to expected Boxing Day sales,’’ Mr Zimmerman said.
‘‘This equals a $98million loss of trade to NSW retailers, with absurd and outdated trading restrictions largely to blame.’’
City shopping centres will open their doors earlier on Boxing Day, with David Jones in Sydney and Melbourne CBDs opening at 5am.
Stockland Shellharbour will open at 8am.
Wollongong Central sales will start on Saturday, with extended trading continuing until January 2.