Shoppers donned masks and boots to brave outdoor lineups in parts of Canada on Saturday, while others turned to the internet to take part in a Boxing Day that bore little resemblance to the holiday of years past.
With non-essential retail shuttered or restricted across swaths of the country in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19, some industry watchers said much of this year s post-Christmas shopping would be replaced with internet searches and online orders.
But in Alberta, where retail remained open with stores limited to 15 per cent of their capacity, business was brisk at Canada s largest indoor shopping centre, West Edmonton Mall.
Shoppers search for Boxing Day sales as pandemic restricts retail options - Medicine Hat NewsMedicine Hat News medicinehatnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medicinehatnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The COVID-19 pandemic means most shoppers checked their emails for deals instead of lining up outside. Canadian Press
| Updated December 26, 2020
The Canadian Press
A man wears a face mask as he walks by store window adverstising after Christmas sales on Boxing Day in Montreal on Saturday.
Shoppers experienced a Boxing Day like no other on Saturday, with non-essential retail shuttered or restricted across much of the country to try and stem the spread of COVID-19.
While some donned masks and snow boots to brave outdoor lineups, many were watching their email inboxes instead, as some industry watchers say much of this year’s post-Christmas shopping will be replaced with internet searches and online orders.