Last-minute holiday shoppers pack into Calgary's malls

Friday marked one of the busiest shopping days of the year, and even the cold weather and slick roads couldn't hold back Calgarians from making it to the store.

Shoppers searching for last-minute gifts and dinner ingredients packed into Market Mall.

"It is definitely one of the busiest shopping days," Cadillac Fairview's Paige O'Neill said.

"With it landing on a Friday, a lot of kids are already out of school and a lot of families are out here shopping for the last-minute gifts."

The good news for those families is that sometimes, leaving it until the last minute can be a good thing.

While shopping on Dec. 23 does mean more people, it can also mean more sales.

Many stores launched their holiday promotions early, or targeted stragglers with deals in the days leading up to Christmas.

"Retailers are already prepared for those Boxing Day blowout sales, and that'll go until probably the end of January," O'Neill told CTV News.

And those deals could mean more in 2022.

Despite sales and traffic at Cadillac Fairview facilities being projected to reach three-year highs, inflation will still play a role in the holidays.

Financial comparison site HelloSafe says 75 per cent of Albertans will change their holiday purchase intentions this year because of the high cost of living.

Thirty-five per cent of those surveyed in the province say they'll likely give fewer gifts this year to save money.