Tills were jingling right through the weekend as shoppers headed out to snap up their last minute Christmas gifts.
Although it was quieter than the last weekend before Christmas traditionally is, due to coronavirus, shopping centre bosses were “pleasantly surprised” at the trade passing through the doors.
Queues built up at Union Square in Aberdeen, the Eastgate Shopping Centre in Inverness and the St Giles Centre in Elgin.
Retailers were last week ordered to step up their safety measures for customers to protect them against the spread of Omicron, the latest variant of Covid which is sweeping across the country.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has also urged people to stay at home and reduce how much they mix with other households in the run-up to Christmas, asking people to “prioritise” what matters most.
For many, that included grabbing some last-minute gifts.
The Trinity Centre’s general manager Linda Stewart said it had an “extremely busy” day on Saturday, although not as busy at it would have been pre-Covid.
She said: “We’ve been pleasantly surprised to be quite honest because of the situation that we’re in now with this new variant. But we’ve got all the measures in place. We’ve got the sanitising stations and we’ve put back the barriers now for social distancing.
“We’ve done what we can to build up confidence in our shoppers, if they want to come in it’s important that they feel safe.”
She added: “It’s nice to see people come in for their shopping and to try to get on with their Christmas.”
Online trade and retail parks booming
Although the High Street in Elgin appeared to be relatively quiet on Sunday people flocked to the retail outlet in New Elgin.
Likewise, the Inverness Shopping Park just outside of the city centre was busy with cars throughout the day on Sunday, as people took advantage of the last weekend before Christmas.
Trade groups said evidence showed online sales were booming and retail parks were busy, while city and town centres were much quieter than usual.
Stuart Mackinnon, of the Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland, said: “Anecdotally, footfall has dropped dramatically following the new public health messaging from the governments in Edinburgh and London. That’s not surprising, with more people choosing to stay at home.
“Some food and drink independent retailers are still seeing steady trade, whereas independent shops where you might buy Christmas gifts seem to be down. The recovery from the pandemic and the associated public health restrictions will take years. Our message is that if you’re limiting the amount of Christmas shopping you’re doing, maybe do what little you are in the local shops on your doorstep.”
British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson added: “The rise of the Omicron variant, combined with government work-from-home advice, has resulted in fewer visiting shops and high streets, particularly in large city centres.
“We are confident it can be a great Christmas for consumers, and retailers are pulling out the stops to keep staff and customers as safe as possible.”
