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Brits still had a lot more money left to spend for Boxing Day as a total of £4.3 Billion has been reportedly spent during this day. Footfall shopping has been less this year, meaning there were less lines in the shopping centres, as bargain hunters chose to stay home and opt for online shopping. According to research group Springboard, shop visits have dropped by 4.5% up to 5pm. International customers also boosted sales due to weaker pounds and low-cost flights, adding about £62 million in revenue this week.
Brits still had a lot more money left to spend for Boxing Day as a total of £4.3 Billion has been reportedly spent during this day. Footfall shopping has been less this year, meaning there were less lines in the shopping centres, as bargain hunters chose to stay home and opt for online shopping. According to research group Springboard, shop visits have dropped by 4.5% up to 5pm. International customers also boosted sales due to weaker pounds and low-cost flights, adding about £62 million in revenue this week.
Boxing Day Sale Traditions
26th December, a national bank holiday in the UK, is traditionally a big day for sales where millions of shoppers, both domestic and international customers, are lured each year. However, it seems like the power of Boxing Day sales have weakened in the past years mainly because of a combination of crazy online sales during November’s Black Friday and major brands holding early online sales starting on Christmas Eve.
This being said, some people still prefer the thrill of lining up early in the morning and being able to score the best offers in fashion, electronics and other big ticket items. They love being physically there to see the products, running around the stores and rummaging through the piles. Some major chains also held back discounted items on the Internet so people would go to their stores.
About Boxing Day
Shopping and bargains aside, why is Boxing Day considered an important holiday in the UK? There are competing stories regarding the origin of this bank holiday after Christmas Day. The first is that during the feudal times, servants and other workers were given by lords of manors boxes filled with food, clothes and other gifts for them to take home after working on Christmas Day. Another theory is that churches during the Victorian era collected money in boxes from parishioners to be given to the poor.
Boxing Day is usually spent in a laidback manner at home with family and friends, often eating leftover turkey. However, some people also choose to participate in bizarre traditions such as swimming in the icy cold waters of the English Channel, while others join fun runs and charity events. Lastly, people shop ‘til they drop on the day dubbed as the shopping holiday in the UK.
