Maritime malls see steady flow of customers, despite lower holiday shopping rates in Canada

The crowds weren't what you would call overwhelming, but at the Mayflower Mall in Sydney, N.S., on Sunday there was a healthy number of early holiday shoppers.

"Black Friday this year was busier than the last four years, at least,” said Mayflower Mall general manager Greg Morrison.

Some stores were offering some pretty hefty savings and Morrison said, in general, the Mayflower has been enjoying some momentum.

"Some people might be staying closer to home to shop,” Morrison said.

“The mall has several new stores to shop at this year too, so I think that's giving people a reason to shop local."

However, in some other parts of the country it's been a different story.

Retail analyst Bruce Winder puts some of the blame on economic uncertainty and the cost-of-living.

"It's been a little bit slow,” Winder said. "Interest rates being high, a 20-year high. Inflation is still a little bit sticky, cost of rent, cost of mortgages."

While Winder said Black Friday sales have given things a boost, he warns the trend might not bode well for the rest of the Christmas season.

According to data from Tangerine Bank, he says spending on things like consumer electronics and home improvement or decor are down.

"Consumers are spending more on experiences,” Winder said. “So if you look at MasterCard data over the last year from Tangerine, travel is up 60 per cent. Car rental and other experiences like recreation up 25 per cent."

Elsewhere in the Maritimes, there were decent crowds on Sunday at the Sunnyside Mall in Bedford, N.S., and the parking lot was reasonably full at McAllister Place - the largest shopping mall in Saint John, N.B.

Winder says in general, there might be more momentum throughout the final month between now and Christmas Day.

"Because retailers will be a little more desperate,” he said. “If they don't sell as much as they planned, they mark it down."

Back in Sydney, Morrison said while economic issues have no doubt impacted the Mayflower Mall in some categories, this year's overall success has him hoping for good crowds again after the presents have been unwrapped.

"I would expect to have similar crowds for the Boxing Week sale as well,” he said.

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