A case could be made that the role of Boxing Day has been in a state of transition of sort over the past several years. Whether you attribute it to the rising prominence of Black Friday or a trend towards more shoppers in stead sourcing out their deals through stores' online presences, it seems every year there are a few less folks queuing up in the early morning hours to get the first crack at a cant miss deal.
The tradition is certainly not dead this year however, with the Corral Centre being ground zero for early bargain hunters. Both Walmart and Best Buy opened under the cover of darkness at or around 6am and as the pic attached to this post would attest to more than a few shoppers have no problem coming out a little earlier to make sure they get the pick of the litter. Taken about five minutes before 6 many would-be customers took advantage of the above normal weather (-12 at the time which beats the normal -22) to be among the first in the door for Best Buy’s opening. A quick look at the store’s flyer showed a half price 75 inch LG 4K TV as the feature attraction, but you just never know what deal has grabbed someone’s attention.... and who’s there for the spectacle of an early opening.
Walmart for their part had what was to me eye a similar lineup to Best Buy, though shoppers were allowed to queue indoors in the entryway before being allowed into the store itself at perhaps a minute or two before 6.
Shoppers Mall, another traditional December 26 hot spot, was to open a few hours later at 9am.