Boxing Day sales or the great sunny outdoors - it was a dilemma many faced yesterday.
Those lured by the prospect of a bargain escaped the heat by hitting Dunedin's shops in their thousands, although some retailers said it was not as ''crazy'' as last Boxing Day, when rain drove people indoors and two cruise ships were berthed at Port Chalmers.
Shoppers did not appear to have been slowed by a record-setting Christmas Eve shopping spree during which
Paymark recorded 4,787,519 transactions nationwide, with a value of $263.7 million, up on the previous record of $238.4 million spent last year.
A full breakdown of Otago's shopping spend on Christmas Eve and yesterday will not be known until later today.
Electronics stores and those catering to teenagers appeared to be the busiest yesterday and there were queues outside homeware store Briscoes when it opened.
Farmers department store manager Shelly Gilchrist said they had a particularly busy morning and a steady afternoon given the weather and competition with other activities.
''It's gone really well. Everyone's in good spirits. There is a different vibe now the pressure's off; it's more relaxed.''
Mitre 10 Mega duty manager Mike Pattinson said he was pleased with the customer turnout.
The good weather brought more people out, although it also meant people also headed to the races, he said.
The Boxing Day races at Wingatui attracted a good crowd and Dunedin beaches were popular.
