The best time to do your Christmas shopping

IF you are yet to fill your Santa stockings this year, there is one day in the week ahead tipped to be the best time to tick off the Christmas list.

Shopping up a storm ... Brisbane’s Skye Jeffcoat and Isabella Christensen get in early to complete their Christmas purchases. Picture: Peter Wallis

FOR shoppers yet to fill their Santa stockings, Sunday is tipped to be the best day to tick off the Christmas list with fewer shoppers expected to be out in force.

And for bargain-hunters already looking to nab heavily-discounted goods, already one in two businesses have started reducing goods in pre-Christmas sales, new figures by the Australian Retailers Association shows.

National Australia Bank data predicts there will be about 60 per cent less trading this Sunday — meaning queues at the ATMs and instore will be much shorter and quicker.

Good news ... Australian Retailers Association’s executive director Russell Zimmerman said there were already plenty of retailers discounting items ahead of Christmas.

The bank’s executive general manager of consumer lending, Angus Gilfillan, warned shoppers to hit the stores sooner rather than later before the final rush on Christmas Eve.

“This Sunday is your best bet to beat the Christmas shopping crowds with a comparatively few 7.2 million transactions,’’ he said.

“We expect to see customers’ transactions continue to increase on most days, peaking at 11.5 million transactions on Christmas Eve.”

Shoppers are being urged to plan ahead in the remaining week before Christmas but, as always, many will leave their food shopping to the last possible moment.

NAB figures show last year Christmas Eve was the busiest day for transactions — about 10 million were made while the last Sunday before Christmas was the quietest with 6.2 million.

But ARA executive director Russell Zimmerman said many retailers said they doing better this festive season than last.

Time is running out to complete your Christmas shopping.

“About 60 per cent of retailers are saying this week against the same week as last year is doing better across the country,’’ he said.

Post-Christmas predictions by the ARA and Roy Morgan research indicates Australians will spend about $2.3 billion nationwide on Boxing Day and about $16.8 billion from December 26 through to January 15.

This is a four per cent increase on last year.

Credit Savvy managing director Dirk Hofman advises consumers to be organised before hitting the stores.

“Set a budget, carry cash and don’t spend money you can’t physically see,’’ he said.

“Leave your credit card at home — there is always the temptation to buy more than you need with specials out there.”

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Originally published as The best time to do your Christmas shopping