Parking hard to find as Boxing Day sales begin

Bargain hunters have started their Boxing Day shopping early to avoid crowds and traffic.

Auckland woman Lara finished her shopping at Sylvia Park shortly after the mall opened at 9am.

"I only went to Lush, so I went really early to be on time for Lush. The parking was fine because I got here about 8.30am to be in time."

Lush opened at 9am, but Lara said there was already a long queue from 8.30am.

Extra staff are working to help things run smoothly, including teams to direct traffic, extra security and cleaners.

Sylvia Park centre manager, Shahyad Asdollah-zadeh expected it to be a huge day:

"If the last fortnight's been any indication, we've had some really good numbers through the mall… The morning just so far to date has been good. So look, expecting a big day, which will be great for our retailers and customers."

Asdollah-zadeh expected foot traffic through the mall to be higher than last year.

Shoppers arriving after 9am said it was hard to find parking. But the mall was not as busy as in previous years, some said.

Patrick, who arrived at the mall at 9.30am, said it seemed less crowded than in previous years.

"I've been here a couple of times on a Boxing Day - I'd say this year around has probably less people around.

"I'd probably say it's more towards the cost of living that affected everybody's opportunity to come here."

A shopper from Whangarei got up at 6am to be there before the mall opened. Jakob told RNZ the Boxing Day sales were good value.

"Got here at 8:45am, crowd's good. Everyone's pretty mindful. It's pretty easy to walk through. Deals are mean, got some good clothes, and yeah, don't get deals like this any other day, so I reckon it's worth it."

People should prepare for stormy, wet weather, as they head out on Boxing Day, MetService warned earlier.

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