Are crime fears keeping shoppers from the mall?

With less than three weeks to go until Christmas Edmontonians are getting their shopping done.

But what makes people choose malls over online and do recent violent events in Edmonton malls have an impact on shopping habits?

“I just don’t like buying online I like being able to hold it,” said one shopper CityNews spoke to.

Another saying, “They had some perfume there for my wife — and I didn’t see it online.”

While these shoppers are buying things the old-fashioned way, retail experts say retailers across Canada saw good numbers during Black Friday, online shopping is picking up ahead of the holidays, and public safety has in part something to do with it.

“We’re getting into flu season, there’s more cases of COVID popping up again, so people are getting a little more nervous about crowds. So being able to shop online, there’s no crowds, they’re in the comfort of their own home,” said Lisa Hutcheson, managing partner at JC Williams Group.

There have been several high-profile incidents in Edmonton malls this year including two lockdowns at West Edmonton Mall over guns and a shooting at Kingsway Mall earlier Tuesday. As well as a stabbing at Southgate earlier this year.

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Wednesday afternoon, Edmonton police put out a statement saying charges are pending after mall security said they were assaulted by three men with chains and lit cigarettes after asking them not to block a doorway. 

Hutcheson says that type of public safety isn’t playing into shoppers’ preferences of malls over online.