Online retail beating lineups

JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Keith McConnell and his son, Kyle, look for online Boxing Day deals from the comfort of their living room.

To wait in line, or not to wait in line -- that's the question for shoppers on the hunt for the best Boxing Day deals.

Some early-morning bargain-hunters won't let anything get in the way of their quest for savings, but more and more people are opting to bypass crowds and winter weather by doing their Boxing Day shopping online.

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A lineup outside Polo Park's Apple Store. (JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

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Weary shoppers rest at 7:30 a.m. at Polo Park while family members seek bargains. (JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

"Why go out early in the morning when I can sit with coffee at home and shop?" said Keith McConnell Monday.

This was the third straight year McConnell has done his Boxing Day shopping online.

"I used to go with a group of friends to the stores and mall-shop, but then we all had kids and the opportunity to get up that early disappeared," said the 40-year-old father of two.

McConnell said he's primarily on the lookout for electronics but didn't spend Dec. 26 in front of the computer. Instead, he went tobogganing with his family because he got his Boxing Day shopping out of the way days before.

"Everything I was looking at was on sale starting on Christmas Eve. The beauty is that in five minutes you can look and compare the models online versus trying to run between the stores. Last year, a lot of the online sites were offering free delivery, but on most of the items they get you to pick them up yourself," he said. McConnell admits not getting to enjoy your purchases right away is the downside to online shopping. "The only thing is that on the 26th at 6 p.m., you're not sitting in front of your new TV or listening to your stereo. You have to wait a few days to get your stuff," he said, adding it's a small price to pay for the convenience of shopping from home.

This year, Future Shop's online Boxing Day sale started on Dec. 24 and will run until today. The store was anticipating over nine million visits to its website from people looking to take advantage of the sales -- a 30 per cent increase to its online sales this year, said a statement from Thierry Hay-Sabourin, senior manager of Future Shop's e-commerce.

"Boxing Day is the biggest day of the year for Canadian retailers," said Lanny McInnes, director of government relations and member services for Manitoba and Saskatchewan at the Retail Council of Canada.

"This is our Black Friday, it's our Super Bowl in terms of retail. The trend that we've seen is that Boxing Day has become Boxing Week and so rather than having sales specifically around Dec. 26, many retailers are looking at stretching that sale period throughout the week, and so they may have three or four days with items on sale.

"Online shopping has made an impact on the increase in competitiveness around Boxing Day. More shoppers are comfortable doing their shopping online, and it has impacted how retailers are preparing," McInnes added.

In 2010, 51 per cent of Internet users ordered goods or services online for personal or household use, according to Statistics Canada. During the same period, Canadians placed nearly 114 million orders totaling around $15.3 billion.

McConnell said he's going to stick with online Boxing Day shopping and doesn't see the point in getting up early to head to the stores. "A lot of the time you have to be one of the first 10 or 20 people in line to get the best deals at stores. I used to go to Polo Park around the time the doors opened and it was just brutal," he said of the crowds. "I bet there were hundreds more people there this year because of the nice weather."

The unseasonably warm temperatures did mean bargain-hunters didn't have to risk frostbite to get the best deals in person.

The doors at Polo Park opened at 7 a.m. Monday, and fifteen minutes later there were over 100 people in line at Lululemon Athletica.

"It's crazy," said Kara Lodewyks, who works at Lululemon. "We've got 70 employees called in... half of them are working this morning and the second wave comes in this afternoon."

Courtney Lewis, 16, was at the front of the line with her friends by 6 a.m. They were planning to shop until they dropped. "Or at least until our money runs out," she said.

The mild weather was a gift in itself to shoppers who had to hit the highways to take advantage of the sales. "We live in East St. Paul so our parents had to get up early to drive us," said Paige Knox, 15, who was on the road with her friend Sarah Comishon, 14, before 7 a.m. "The sales are pretty good though. It's worth getting up early."

The teens were on the lookout for "clothes and stuff" at Polo Park and had tweaked their Christmas lists in preparation for the big day.

"I asked for more cash for Christmas so I could come spend it on Boxing Day," said Paige. Sarah said she did the same, preferring money over gift cards because until she gets to the mall, she's not sure what she'll want to pick up. Online shopping is something she leaves to her folks.

"I've never bought anything online before, but I think I might eventually. My dad was online at midnight to buy some stuff on sale. It's just so much fun to go out with your friends and come to the mall and shop," said Sarah.

After nearly five hours of power shopping, the girls called it a day. Sarah said there was "a lot of line-standing," but the experience was a good one. "I'll definitely do it next year," she said.

alana.odegard@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 27, 2011 A3