Calgarians searching for discounts in last-minute Christmas shopping rush

Christmas Day is only a few sleeps away and that has last-minute shoppers out in search of gifts.

Lea Wilhelm owns Peacock Boutique in Inglewood.

The store has been running its 12 Days of Christmas sale, with Dec. 23 being "buy one item, get one 50 per cent off."

"(We're) hoping that it's kind of like the climax of everything -- bring in a lot of bodies," Wilhelm said.

One trend she's noticed is people searching for discounted items.

"People are being mindful of where their money is spent. They are looking for more deals," Wilhelm said.

That search for a bargain is one retail analyst David Gray with DIG360 Consulting has noticed.

"We had a big uptick in Canadians who were deal-hunting this year," Gray said.

A country-wide survey conducted after Cyber Monday in partnership with the Angus Reid Group found about 93 per cent of people "were really concerned" about watching expenses this year over the holidays.

"At the same time they’re hunting for bargains, the retailers have been pushing back on doing deep discounts," Gray said.

In past years, the consulting firm found about 50 per cent of respondents were in search of deals.

This year, it went up to 75 per cent.

Calgarians have been encouraged to shop local this holiday season by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

"Purchasing goods and services from within your local community supports local jobs, community, vibrancy and economic development, right where you live," the chamber said in a release.