Boxing Day sales bring traffic, long waits and mostly moderate deals

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Travelers heading to catch a flight at YVR on Boxing Day, one of the busiest travel days of the year, encountered brutal Christmas Day traffic as shoppers headed to Richmond’s McArthurGlen Designer Outlet.

Drivers who waited up to 90 minutes just to cross the Arthur Laing Bridge may have wondered if someone else’s discounted hoodie was worth the price they paid in fuel and frustration.

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Traffic was almost at a standstill for most of the day on the way to the normally quiet mall, with Richmond police and RCMP directing incoming vehicles.

The SkyTrain, running on a Saturday schedule, was packed with hopeful shoppers — and more than a few annoyed travelers heading to YVR.

Deep Boxing Day discounts on electronics at Vancouver’s downtown stores are largely a thing of the past thanks to pre-holiday sales like Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday, but outlet malls are having a moment.

At McArthurGlen, the parking lot was full and there were long lines at Nike, North Face, Ralph Lauren and the public toilets.

Despite the hype, the discounts were questionable.

At Aritzia, their trademark Super Puff short jacket was still full price for anyone wanting the popular matte black or tan. On the discount racks? The shiny, metallic, the eerie greens and purples.

The same was the case in many other stores. There were bargains to be had, but shoppers were gunning for the best styles, even when the discounts were moderate at best (classic UGGs were just 15 percent off).

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So if it really isn’t about a once-in-a-lifetime deal, why bother?

As with many aspects of the holiday season, there can be an element of ritual, tradition and shared experience at play.

Although in Commonwealth countries Boxing Day was traditionally a day when the moneyed classes could present gifts to the poor or to employees, in Canada it evolved into a shopping day and, thanks to a statutory holiday, an opportunity to continue to meet and celebrate

For Edmund Wen of Richmond and Anthony Lu of North Delta, lining up at the Nike store was just fun — whether they got anything good was a secondary consideration.

“I like the vibe, the music, the festive atmosphere,” Lu said.

“It doesn’t matter what style I get,” Wen said. “I just want a pair of shoes.”

Richard and Jill Go, who shopped with friends Mathew and Krystal Chu, said they had great success and scored discounts on tracksuits, shirts, crocs and baby clothes, but it was also about being together and ending the holiday with one more day of hanging out and enjoy each other’s company.

The best part?

A break in the rain, a bit of blue sky, and that pleasant feeling of hope—a hint that if you wait in the right line and long enough, you might be rewarded with something that makes it all worthwhile.

In other words, it might just be the journey and not the destination.

Unless, of course, you were one of those travelers stuck in Boxing Day traffic on your way to the airport.

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