Last minute shoppers head to West Edmonton Mall

Christmas eve shoppers flock to North America’s largest shopping centre, the West Edmonton Mall to do some last-minute Christmas shopping.

“I’ll be very honest, with school I was very busy, my parents were very busy with work, so kind of the only time we were free, so figured you know what, might as well do some shopping,” said one local.

And then there’s pat, who has purposefully left all of his gift  shopping until Christmas eve for the last 20 years.

“Cause the malls are empty. Every time you come to the mall on the 24th, you have options for selection, there’s nobody rushing you, you’re in, you’re out. Everyone here is here for a purpose, they’re buying their last-minute gifts, and they’re gone. There’s no loitering, there’s no nothing, the parking lots are perfect, it’s absolutely fantastic,” said Pat, a local shopper.

While the morning of Christmas eve was relatively quiet for Canada’s largest mall, mall officials say the Christmas shopping season has been busier than previous years.

“What we’re seeing now because a lot of people during covid were shopping online, everybody’s coming back in person now to do their shopping. Even if they’re making their list online, they’re still coming in person to do their shopping at the stores,” said Danielle Woo, General Manager and VP of Tourism at West Edmonton mall.

Some of the last-minute shoppers we spoke to only had one or two items left to buy, some like pat, came with a full list to check off.

“Today? Everybody. Started with mom, then moved to dad, except the kids, that’s it, that’s the only ones I’m not buying for,” said Pat, a local shopper.

“Don’t tell my wife, no, I do some of it beforehand, but then there’s always something you forget,” said Paul, a local shopper.

“One of the strong points of West Edmonton Mall, is that not only do you have the 800 stores and services that we offer here, but you also have the entertainment, you have the movie theatre, you have restaurants. So even if you’re shopping, you’re going through your list, your family can be out at one of our attractions or at a restaurant or seeing a movie, so there’s really something for everybody. It takes the pressure off, and it’s a fun experience,” said Woo.