Boxing Day

No, not for boxer!

The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon tradition giving seasonal gifts to less wealthy people and social inferiors. Until their distribution, these gifts were stored in a "Christmas box", which was opened on December 26, when the contents were distribute .
Boxing Day officially began in England in the middle of the 19 century under the rule of Queen Victoria. It was a day to thank the community for all their effort throughout the years. The maids, drivers and other service workers were thanked with gifts of food, money, clothing, and other goods.The holiday is named Boxing Day because the tradition of giving gifts of cash, food, clothing and other goods to the less fortunate were placed into boxes for easier transportation.

"Shopping Day"

In Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and some states of Australia,Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It is a time where shops have sales, often with dramatic price decreases. For many merchants, Boxing Day has become the day of the year with the greatest revenue.
Many retailers open very early (typically 5 am or even earlier) and offer doorbuster deals and loss leaders to draw people to their stores. It is not uncommon for long queues to form early in the morning of 26 December, hours before the opening of shops holding the big sales, especially at big-box consumer electronics retailers. Once inside, the shoppers often rush and grab, as many stores have a limited quantity of big draw or deeply discounted items.
Because of the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, many choose to stay home and avoid the hectic shopping experience. The local media often cover the event, mentioning how early the shoppers began queueing up, providing video of shoppers standing in line and later leaving with their purchased items.

The Boxing Day sales have the potential for customer stampedes, injuries and even fatalities.
As a result, many retailers have implemented practices aimed at controlling large numbers of shoppers, most whom are typically irate due to the cold (or, in Australia and New Zealand, hot) weather, and anxious for bargains. They may limit entrances, restrict the number of patrons in a store at a time, provide tickets to people at the head of the line to guarantee them a hot ticket item, and canvass lined-up shoppers to inform them of inventory limitations.

In recent years, retailers have expanded their deals to "Boxing Week". While Boxing Day is 26 December, many retailers who hold Boxing Day Sales will run the sales for several days before or after 26 December, often up to New Year's Eve. Notably in the recession of late 2008, a record number of retailers were holding early promotions due to a weak economy.[13] Canada's Boxing Day has often been compared to the U.S.'s Black Friday, right after Thanksgiving, and in 2009 a number of major Canadian retailers had their own Black Friday promotions in order to discourage shoppers from crossing the border.[14]
In some areas of Canada, particularly in Atlantic Canada and parts of Northern Ontario, most retailers are prohibited by law from opening on Boxing Day. In these areas, sales which would otherwise be scheduled for 26 December are moved to the 27th.

Cyber Boxing Day

The online version of Boxing Day is known as Cyber Boxing Day, typically one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
“Last year (2008) Christmas Day was the seventh busiest online day of the year for (UK) online retailers, while Boxing Day was the busiest,” commented Robin Goad, Research Director at Experian Hitwise. “We have already seen that shoppers are willing to hold out longer for a bargain this year, with ‘Cyber Monday’ moving a week closer to Christmas. This behaviour is likely to carry through to the post-Christmas period, with people logging on after Christmas lunch to find the best discounts before hitting the high street and shopping malls the following day.”

In 2009, Retailers launched their Boxing Day sales on Christmas Eve on the internet, to take advantage of the millions expected to shop online over Christmas.
Meanwhile, online retailers Getting Personal, La Redoute, M&M Direct, QVC, Republic and Robert Dyas started their end of year sales on 23rd of December. John Lewis started its Clearance sale at 6pm 24 December while its in store sales started Sunday 27 December. Other websites including Argos, Boots, Debenhams, Ernest Jones, H.Samuel, Heals, Marks & Spencer started their online sales on Christmas Day while their retail stores were closed.