Western Australians rush to last-minute Christmas shopping as heatwave conditions ease

ABC NEWS (Australia)

West Australians spent yesterday getting ready for Christmas. For some that meant a dash to the shops for last minute gifts, while others braved crowds to purchase their favourite foods to feast on.

Transcript

00:00The countdown is on for one of the biggest days of the year.

00:07We're just buying some seafood for lunch with the family tomorrow, so we come every year

00:12on Christmas Eve.

00:13With our elf on the shelf.

00:14It's the very last minute, but I heard these guys were open for the marathon, so yeah,

00:19I was like, I'll sneak in.

00:22Every year in the lead up to Christmas, Caylus Brothers in Leaderville operate for 36 hours

00:27straight, and despite the rising cost of living, record numbers are walking through

00:32its doors.

00:33It's a tradition, we've been doing it for 29 years, and we see some very familiar faces

00:41each year.

00:42People who come here, enjoy the seafood, enjoy all the festivities that are going on in the

00:47area.

00:48Christmas spending in the West is expected to hit $7.6 billion this year, up only 0.2%

00:55from last year, a modest increase compared with national spending up 2.7%.

01:02We had an incredible Black Friday sales period this year with 5.5% growth over 2023.

01:09It's certainly hit a new high in this country, and many Australians were using the Black

01:15Friday sales to do their Christmas shopping early and at bargain prices.

01:19But for those who left the shopping to the 11th hour, Christmas Eve was spent hunting

01:24for gifts.

01:25I left it all so late, like I thought, I don't know, I'll do it tomorrow, I'll do it tomorrow,

01:31and then the shop's so packed, it's craziness.

01:34After a heatwave in Perth which brought over 40 degree days, the city is starting to cool

01:40down, drawing shoppers into the CBD for their final chance to grab last minute presents.

01:45And for the big day tomorrow, it's set to cool down even further, with a partly cloudy

01:49and windy day on the forecast, a stark contrast to last year's Christmas scorcher of 37 degrees.

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