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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6956926.1720544990!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
The remnants of hurricane Beryl are heading to Canada. Here's where it's expected to land
A since-downgraded hurricane that claimed several lives and left a wake of destruction in its path is forecast to strike parts of Canada this week as a tropical storm.
Argentina shows its class in 2-0 win over gutsy Canada in Copa America semifinal
Goals by Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez lifted top-ranked Argentina past Canada as the star-studded South American side showed its pedigree in a 2-0 win in the Copa America semifinal on Tuesday.
Five hospitalizations in Ontario linked to plant-based refrigerated beverages recall
Ontario is confirming nine cases of listeriosis that are believed to be linked to a recall for Silk® and Great Value brand plant-based refrigerated beverages.
'Her whole future ahead of her': Sask. photographer captures Manitoba graduate posing on iceberg
Some say a photograph is simply a memory frozen in time – and a high school graduation photo taken in Churchill, Man. takes that adage to a completely new level.
'Hilarious and fun': Ottawa man surprised with 40th birthday party inside Value Village
As much as Tyler Garvey loves hunting for a vintage bargain, he never expected to celebrate his 40th birthday inside a Value Village location.
The body of an American climber buried by an avalanche 22 years ago in Peru has been found
Twenty two years ago, an avalanche buried American climber Bill Stampfl as he made his way up one of the highest peaks in the Andes mountains.
Russia orders the arrest of Alexei Navalny's widow, who lives abroad
A court in Russia ordered the arrest of the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny during a hearing Tuesday that was conducted in absentia as part of a sweeping Kremlin crackdown on the opposition.
Ukraine will stop Putin, Biden tells NATO in forceful speech
Joe Biden forcefully defended the foreign policy achievements of his presidency as he welcomed NATO member states to a Washington summit on Tuesday that is being closely watched by allies at home and abroad for proof the embattled U.S. president can still lead.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard is pregnant
Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who served eight and a half years for helping to kill her abusive mother, announced Tuesday that she is set to become a mother herself.