Canadian Personal Finance Blog

This was originally posted on Boxing Day last year, after I had returned from the “sales” this year promises to bring the same lack of enthusiasm:

So this is the first boxing day I have spent in Ottawa in 20 years. I grew up in Montreal, and Boxing Day there was simple, all stores opened at noon and away you go (some had sales, etc.,), but I kept hearing about HUGE SALES and GREAT BARGAINS and people lined up for blocks and over $1.4B spent today alone (the second biggest day of buying in the year), all I can say is, Really?

I went out this morning to get some milk and bought some storage containers at 1/2 price ($1.49, great buy). We went to Staples, Wal-Mart, and Indigo along with a grocery store, and it felt like a Sunday. Wal-Mart looked a little whacky, I must admit, but the craziest thing I saw was the RETURNs line! Why would you go to a store to return something on Boxing Day, unless you had no life and wanted to spend a long time in line? A lot of stores don’t even allow returns on Boxing Day, so what is the point?

No big whoop here. No huge bargains, no big screen tvs, I think we bought some cheap Christmassy tea towels, and I looked at the “Big Hauler” train set at Loblaws, but that is about it. Boxing Day? Leave it to the pugilists!

I don’t even think I am going to go out for Boxing Day this year, I may simply visit some folks who I haven’t seen in a long time.