Foot traffic steady in most Vancouver stores on Boxing Day, amid COVID-19

Despite temperatures dropping below the freezing mark in Vancouver on Sunday, and the Omicron variant spreading rapidly, in-store traffic appeared to be steady on Boxing Day.

Bargain hunters hit Robson Street downtown bright and early, hoping to find a deal they could boast about.

“I got my sweater for $7 at H&M,” one shopper told CTV News.

Smaller retailers on South Granville also had customers coming in early. Public health restrictions have stores like The Latest Scoop capped at 50 per cent capacity, forcing staff and customers to pivot once again.

“In this store, we can only have 12 people in at a time. It’s challenging, but our customers are amazing and don’t mind waiting,” said Roisin Gornall, retail education manager at The Latest Scoop.

“We try to move things as quickly as possible just to get everyone in the store.”

The Latest Scoop is a locally-owned business with five locations across Vancouver. All of the store’s apparel is between 30 and 50 per cent off on Boxing Day.

There were no lineups at Turnabout on Main Street, however foot traffic was steady at the popular consignment shop throughout the day.

“We’re definitely seeing more people wanting to find those really good deals, without going to a big box store,” said Kirstyn Hardy, store manager at Turnabout.

Supporting local businesses right now has never been more crucial, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

“Not even 40 per cent of B.C.’s small businesses are back to making normal sales right now, and 32 per cent are losing money every day they are open,” said Annie Dormuth, with the CFIB.

With new health restrictions and concerns over omicron, the Retail Council of Canada expects more people will continue to shop online this year.

Last year, retail e-commerce sales were up by more than 70 per cent, and according to Statistics Canada, 2021 is on track to beat that.

Whether you’re shopping online or in person, local retailers want you to know that most Boxing Day sales last all week.