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With inventory levels declining and some “Boxing Day” sales launched on Christmas Eve, harvests could be slim on December 26.
In an email to customers Thursday, The Warehouse Group announced that its online sales would start early.
The Boxing Day deals would be available through Noel Leeming’s website starting at 7:30 pm on Christmas Eve, while The Warehouse would launch its sale at 8 pm.
Rebel Sport and Harvey Norman were also among those who launched their sales early.
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But as the global supply chain tightens under pressure from Covid-19 and many retailers face dwindling stocks, hitting a bargain could prove difficult.
joseph johnson / Stuff
The St. Stephen’s Day sales could be different this year as retailers struggle to have inventory on the shelves. (File photo)
At Kmart Riccarton, Christchurch, toys were few and far between as Christmas approached and shoppers reported similar scenes at other Kmart stores across the country.
A spokeswoman for the retailer confirmed that it was struggling to stock shelves in certain categories because port congestion affected its ability to get products to stores.
The Warehouse had also felt the effects of the shipping delays, but had taken additional steps to keep inventory levels high during the holiday period, a spokeswoman said.
Like Kmart, some categories could be affected, but more stock was on the way.
Marika Hill / Things
Kmart has had trouble keeping up with demand for some items due to port congestion.
In addition to the headache of those tasked with keeping shelves stocked, kiwis have been shopping literally like never before.
Traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year, Christmas Eve 2020 was no exception, according to Paymark.
As of 2 p.m. Thursday, shoppers had spent more than $ 166 million through the electronic card network, setting a record for transactions per second in the process.
At 12:30 p.m., transactions peaked at 204 per second, 16 per second more than the previous record and more than three times the daily average of around 60 per second.
