Brendan Hoffman
Canadian consumers showed a little more Christmas spirit this year than last, early retail data indicates.
According to Moneris Solutions, a company that processes credit and debit card transactions for retailers, Canadian shoppers exceeded last year's record for most daily transactions on Thursday.
Canadians swiped their cards just over 15 million times, breaking last year's record - also set two days before Christmas - by more than a million purchases.
Santo Ligotti, Moneris' vice-president of marketing, said he doesn't expect Thursday's figures to be beaten this year, since Dec. 23 is traditionally the year's biggest shopping day because of extended store hours.
Thursday also broke last year's record for most transactions per second, clocking in at 406 just before 4:00 pm.
Mr. Ligotti says these strong figures will help cap off a year where each quarter improved on its counterpart from last year.
Of all the transactions Moneris processed this holiday season, Mr. Lioatti said about 60 per cent were credit and 40 per cent were debit.
This suggests Canadians are becoming friendlier with their credit cards as the economy pulls out of the recession. Last year the split was about even.
Thursday's strong numbers come as no surprise to Brian O'Hosky, property manager of Toronto's Eaton Centre.
"The escalators are just constantly flowing with people," he said of Thursday's crowds. "It's just shoulder to shoulder right through the whole centre."
Mr. O'Hosky described Friday as a little bit more subdued, slowing down after an initial wave of office workers came to squeeze in some last minute shopping before work.
But with Boxing Day still to come, Mr. O'Hosky said his retailers were feeling no shortage of Christmas cheer.
"We've heard from a lot of retailers, a couple of the major ones, that they're already on the gravy train, that they've already made the month and the next couple of days will be gravy for them."