[URBAN NOTE] "120K shoppers expected to visit Yorkdale for Boxing Day deals"

[rfmcdonald]

The Toronto Star's Azzura Lalani notes the expected huge throngs of shoppers even now crowding Yorkdale.

Toronto shoppers arrived early, armed with game plans and strategies to snag the best Boxing Day deals at the Eaton Centre and Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

Visitors at Yorkdale were up 50 per cent more on Boxing Day morning compared to last year, said general manager Claire Santamaria. She expects about 120,000 people will visit the mall by the end of the day. A normal Saturday sees about 75,000.

“Boxing Day is our busiest shopping day of the year and it also has our longest hours,” said Santamaria. “The increase in traffic is really pushed by the fact that we have extra shopping hours in the day.”

At the Eaton Centre, where some stores opened as early as 7 a.m., crowds didn’t pick up until later in the morning.

“I think that the pre-Christmas sales in the week leading up were almost the same — there’s maybe an additional 10 per cent off,” said Lisa Madokoro, 30, who bought a dress she’d been eyeing at Club Monaco that was half price.