Boxing Day is banned in Halifax & Nova Scotia? Too bad for them. I'm sure glad I live in Vancouver! Read on for article:

Most stores in Nova Scotia resisted the temptation to make an extra buck and remained closed on Boxing Day, despite being allowed to legally open their doors on the holiday for the first time in years.


It was a stark contrast to scenes elsewhere in Canada on Tuesday when nearly six million shoppers were expected to flock to the annual shopping frenzy.

In Halifax, disappointed bargain hunters peered into store windows and jiggled locked door handles before dashing back to their vehicles as rain fell and temperatures dipped to a cool one degree.


"I didn't realize nothing would be open," Elaine Clark, a 55-year-old visitor from Vancouver, said outside a closed shop in downtown Halifax." Out west it's a huge shopping day and retailers make a huge amount of money."

When Nova Scotia finally allowed Sunday shopping earlier this year, it also eliminated its ban on retail openings on several statutory holidays, including Boxing Day.

Initially, most malls and large retailers said they would open Dec. 26, prompting anger among retail workers who argued they deserve two days off for Christmas.

But earlier this month, a group of chain stores, including Wal-Mart, Future Shop, Sears, Zellers, the Bay and Canadian Tire, and the two largest shopping malls in the Halifax area, all agreed to close, ensuring no store would be left at a disadvantage. Instead, the stores will start their Boxing Day sales on Wednesday.

A number of shopping malls across the province also announced they would stay closed, while a handful of businesses, including some pharmacies and video stores, decided to open.

When Bedroom Depot in Halifax saw competitors like the Brick and Ashley Furniture advertising sales on Dec. 26, the furniture store felt compelled to open its doors, too, said store manager Chris Hotchkiss.

"We would not have been open if everyone else wasn't open," said Hotchkiss, 29. "Christmas went a little fast and usually Boxing Day is a nice day to not have to work."

It was a different scene elsewhere in the country, where massive Boxing Day sales have been the norm for years.

In Montreal, more than 200 people lined up outside a Future Shop outlet in a downtown shopping centre. Some arrived as early as 6 a.m., even though the store only opened its doors at 1 p.m. A nearby movie theatre even tried taking advantage of the long wait by selling water bottles at $4 a pop to restless bargain hunters.

Jason Lops, 24, who arrived at 6 a.m., wasn't surprised by the lineup, but he said the appeal of saving $100 on an X-Box 360 was simply too strong.

"It's the first time I'm here," he said. "It's just because I wanted an X-Box for cheaper, really, and I'm going to get one."

Justin LeBlanc, who was also among the first in line, had his heart set on a high-definition TV. "I'm saving $200, so it's definitely worth the wait," LeBlanc, 17, said.

He agreed it was crazy to wait more than six hours to save $200, but added "crazy people do crazy things and I guess that's how it goes."

Human traffic was bumper to bumper at Toronto's Eaton Centre, where hundreds of eager shoppers braved long lineups to score deals on everything from clothing, jewellery, electronics and video games.



Mall security guards were joined by 50 Toronto police officers both inside the mall and along Yonge Street.
Security was particularly heavy around Dundas Square, near where 15-year-old Jane Creba was gunned down last Boxing Day in the crossfire of a gang war while she shopped with relatives.

Last year's tragedy, however, didn't stop people from pouring into the downtown core to scoop up some bargains.

Eighteen-year-old Omar Tarek said that while his family doesn't celebrate Christmas, they never miss a trip to Toronto from suburban Ajax on Boxing Day.

"It's an annual ritual. Every year we come here and shop," he said.

While this year's deals "weren't so good compared to last year," it didn't stop him from dropping $300 on a couple of sweaters, a jacket and a belt.

Throngs of people descended on West Edmonton Mall's 800 stores to cash in on some boxing day deals.

Many stores had lineups spilling out into the hallways and Edmonton police officers dotted the crowd.

Above the deafening roar, an address system crackled with names of people who were lost and where they could meet.

It was all getting a bit much by mid-afternoon for Andrea Gladue, who was waiting in line to get into a store.

"It's overly busy," she said. "It's kind of frustrating. . . . I don't like waiting forever to get into a store, and then when you get into a store, the thing you want is gone, and there's so many people."

Asked if it was worth it, she shrugged tiredly as she headed into the store. "I guess."

Tyler Konig, who used to work at the mall, said the stores were really busy, but he's seen worse.

"It's not the sardine can I thought it would be, so it's actually not too bad. I think some people are actually staying home because they think it's going to be too busy," he said. "Three years ago it was 10 times worse than this. So, this is nothing."
A survey by Visa Canada suggested Canadians expected to spend just under $2 billion on Tuesday, with Ontarians making up more than half that amount.