By Brian Schultz
Jordan Harder of Calgary, is Future Shop's first Boxing Day customer who scored amazing deals during Canada's busiest shopping day of the year on December 26, 2010. (CNW GROUP / FUTURE SHOP)
Bargain hunters of all ages lined up outside Winnipeg stores Sunday morning to get their hands on deals that were too good to pass up.
Boxing Day began at 6 a.m. at most big box outlets, while shopping malls swung open their doors at 8 a.m. To accommodate the demand, the Manitoba government changed its Retail Businesses Holiday Closing Amendment Act in November. The move allows retailers to open up before noon today only — something the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce applauded.
With Canadians expected to spend more than in previous years this holiday season, consumers were definitely cashing in those gift cards and lightening their wallets on goods.
The most popular items are still electronics, and statistics from years past still show men are the biggest spenders on Boxing Day.
But if you’re looking to exchange or return a gift that you didn’t particularly like, hold on to it for a few more days. Many stores do not accept returns today and are strictly focussing on moving out new merchandise and making as many sales as possible.
Future Shop and Best Buy, for example, also aren’t taking returns on the 27th.
