Boxing Day in Niagara just isn’t the same

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Boxing Day was anything but a shopping frenzy this year across Niagara.

The aisles in the giant Best Buy on Fourth Avenue in St. Catharines were closed to the public and empty, except for staff.

Further down the line at Walmart in the same complex, it was business as usual, albeit quieter than usual for a Saturday. The only sign of the COVID-19 lockdown there were the ubiquitous in-store barriers.

There was a lineup at Best Buy, but it was short. Electronic bargain hunters could only get as far into the store as the vestibule where there was a pay-pad. Staff would find out what they wanted and bring it out front.

Best Buy had a portable canopy tent set up in front of the store and staff outside to answer questions and offer assistance after Niagara entered a provincial-imposed COVID lockdown Saturday scheduled to last until Jan. 23.

“We’re having people call in for a virtual queue, and they can call in, speak to one of the sales associates in the store,” said Tyler Rockwood, an assistant manager who was bundled up outside and answering a slow but steady stream of customer questions.

“We aren’t allowing people into the store. They can only go as far as the vestibule. We have a pay-paid inside the doors, and that’s it. We also have 14 spots designated and set aside in the parking lot for people using the curbside pickup.

“It’s been steady. On a normal Boxing Day, we would have 400-plus people in the building. In the years that I’ve been here, and I have been here for 10 years, people were shoulder-to-shoulder in the store, and the lineup outside would wrap around the corner toward the back of the store.”

The province imposed new grey-zone restrictions as the COVID-19 case-count across Ontario has continued to grow. Niagara Public Health reported 62 new cases on Saturday.

Businesses considered essential, such as grocery stores and pharmacies, are open with capacity restrictions. The declaration orders closed indoor businesses such as gyms, movie theatres, and walk-in retail.

The Outlet Mall in Niagara-on-the-Lake has a message on its website telling shoppers, “In light of the latest developments and guidelines issued by the Government of Ontario, Outlet Collection at Niagara will be closed to the public as of 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 25 and until further notice.”

While there is access to essential services, curbside pick-up and eatery vendors offering take-out or delivery will be maintained within safety measures at participating retailers.

At the Pen Centre in St. Catharines one entrance was open, and the parking lot was mostly barren. Security at the door asked those seeking entrance what their business was. Once inside, most of the stores were closed. If anyone wanted anything other than a cellphone or what could be found in the drug store, they were out of luck. Three places were open in the food court. About the only action was a food-court staffer wiping down tables and chairs.

Shiellah Chaamba of Niagara Falls was bundled up and looking for a television deal at Best Buy. She was in a line of about five and trying to stay warm. She was hoping for a short wait.

“I was just in the Walmart, and I thought it would be busier,” Chaamba said. “Even this line here at Best Buy isn’t too bad.”

Mohammed Assi needed a new desktop computer with his kids resuming their school work online again in the new year.

“What are you going to do,” Assi said of the lockdown. “You have to follow the rules. I support them. We have to everything we can to try to keep everybody safe.”

Rockwood figured he would spend about five hours outside on Boxing Day helping customers as temperatures dipped to the -4C range with a wind chill of -8C. The rest of the staff was rotating.

“The sales will probably be down this year, but Best Buy has done an excellent job of offering different avenues for customers to shop online or for curbside pickup,” Rockwood said.

“One of the things we learned last spring was that once people understand the process, they adapt. A big part of it is educating the consumer.

“The biggest problem we have with online shopping right now is the stock, and that is industry-wide. It’s the supply chain. Amazon has a wait for some products lasting into February.

“Best Buy was smart and bought a ton of inventory in the fall. We will see how long it lasts before the rest of the world catches up again.”

Downtown Welland was empty Boxing Day as the lockdown came into effect.

Stores at Welland’s Smart Centres on Primeway Drive were closed with the exception of Walmart, which offers groceries for sale allowing it to remain open. There were no lineups at the store when The Tribune went by.

Rona Welland, Canadian Tire and Marks are now offering curbside service. Canadian Tire had dedicated curbside stalls set up with a few vehicles parked and receiving items

The parking lot at Seaway Mall was nearly empty as it too closed because of the lockdown.

Stores inside the mall like Staples, Peoples Jewellers, and Staples switched to curbside service. Banks remain the only places open for business in the mall, while others switched to seeing people by appointment only.

Ye Olde Squire, Mr. Mikes Steakhouse and other restaurants were offering takeout and delivery.

Port Colborne’s West Street and downtown core was empty Saturday.

When the lockdown was announced, the City of Port Colborne said it was re-designating parking stalls to 15-minute curbside pickup zones as it had during the first lockdown.

Restaurants in the city also switched back to takeout with curbside service.

Dave Johnson is a St. Catharines-based reporter for the Welland Tribune. Follow him on Twitter: @DaveJTheTrib