Boxing Day shopping, anyone?

I once sort of looked forward to braving the madness on this strange Canadian holiday, when the best prices of the year could be had on clothing at Banana Republic, as well as on appliances, electronics and other things.

Stores were a zoo, but it was usually worth it.

Boxing Day is an old tradition that began in Britain. On the day after Christmas, wealthy households would give boxes filled with small gifts, money and leftover food to their servants and tradespeople.

Boxing it all up was part of the joy.

The tradition morphed and spread, and lives on differently around the world.

In the UK, it’s still a bank holiday, marked by football matches and family gatherings.

Australia celebrates with cricket and beach barbecues.

Here in Canada, we’ve stretched it into “Boxing Week” – and some retailers run sales clear through January.

The timing is strategic, and somehow not as generous as those wealthy Brits of old. 🧐

Retailers know consumers have gift cards burning holes in their pockets, plus returns to convert into new purchases (and potential upsells). Most folks are still in holiday mode, with ample time to shop.

The discounts also help clear out seasonal inventory before those alarming credit card statements arrive.

For product makers, it’s a delicate balance.

Deep discounts can devalue your brand, but missing the Boxing Day rush means losing sales to competitors.

Some brands maintain their premium positioning by offering “exclusive collections” instead of straight markdowns.

For some reason, Boxing Day hasn’t caught on in the US – Black Friday and Cyber Monday dominate the holiday sales calendar.

But American retailers watch Canadian Boxing Day performance as an indicator of post-holiday consumer behavior.

Action for you: Consider how your pricing and promotion strategy aligns with different cultural shopping traditions. Could you create special editions or bundles that preserve value while participating in seasonal sales?

Laurier

P.S. Those original gift boxes were brought to work empty by the servants on Christmas to hold their booty. A tangible reminder that packaging has always been part of the gift-giving experience. (And that “bring your own bag/box isn’t new either.”)