Boxing Week facts for kids

Boxing Week is a special time for shopping that happens every year in countries like Canada. It starts right after Christmas, on December 26th, which is called Boxing Day. This shopping period usually lasts until New Year's Eve, December 31st. It's a time when many stores offer big sales and discounts, making it a popular time for people to find deals.

What is Boxing Week?

Boxing Week is a period of about six days that begins on December 26th with Boxing Day and ends on New Year's Eve on December 31st. The idea for "Boxing Week" was created by stores around the mid-2000s. They wanted to make their Boxing Day sales last longer, through much of the Christmas season.

Even though it's called "Boxing Week," it's not always a full seven days. Some stores even start their sales before December 26th or keep them going for longer. This means you might see huge lines of people waiting to get into stores to grab the best deals!

What is Boxing Day?

Boxing Day is a national holiday in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries. It's a day when many British families spend time together, especially if they couldn't do so on Christmas Day. For clothing companies, it's often the busiest week of the entire year.

Why Do Stores Have Sales?

Many stores, especially in places like Canada and the UK, offer big discounts during Boxing Week. They do this to clear out their inventory (all the products they have in stock). There are a few reasons why this is important for them:

• Stores need to count all their products, which takes a lot of time and effort from their workers, usually in January.
• In some places, stores have to pay a tax on the products they still have in stock at the start of the new year. Selling things helps them reduce this tax.
• They are getting ready to bring in new products for the new year. So, they want to sell off the older items to make space.

Sometimes, products might have a mail-in rebate. This is when you buy something, and then the company sends you some money back later if you mail in a special form. It's another way manufacturers try to sell more products. Some stores also offer "loss leader" deals. This means they sell a few items at a very low price, even if they don't make much money, just to get you into the store. Once you're there, they hope you'll buy other things too.

Shopping Across Borders

In December 2012, some local shop owners in Canada were a bit worried. They noticed that many Canadian shoppers were going across the border to the United States to spend their money. This happened even though Canadian stores tried hard to offer good deals and encourage people to shop in their own country. It shows how popular sales events like Boxing Week can be, and how people look for the best prices wherever they can find them.

See also

• Winter holiday season