It’s 6 a.m. at the Vancouver Convention Centre, and already the line stretches around the city’s seawall, spilling out to Harbour Green Park. Hundreds of shoppers have gathered here in the wee hours, braving an unsteady economy – or perhaps flocking here because of it – for a chance to find deals.
The annual Aritzia Inc. warehouse sale is a well-known fixture on the Vancouver retail scene, drawing the population of a small city over seven days. The crowded and cluttered event requires about 1,300 staff to run, and attracted roughly 96,000 shoppers in 2022, according to Aritzia spokesperson Barbara Nguyen-Willeford. But it is happening in a very different climate this year. Like other retailers, the Canadian fashion chain is seeing shoppers pull back on non-essential purchases as inflation continues to squeeze people’s budgets.
Statistics Canada’s latest inflation figures showed pressures on consumers on multiple fronts, with costs for groceries, rent and mortgage interest all continuing to rise in July.
In good years and bad, this lineup is one small glimpse into Canadian consumer behaviour. Those who gave up on sleep – and stood in the rain – to be here, talked about why they came.
Geet Nair, 15, Port Moody
Standing in a sea of people in hoodies, and already wearing a hoodie, Mr. Nair said he was lining up to shop for – wait for it – more hoodies. “They’re just comfortable.”
Anne Reimchen, 33, Vancouver
Moving to the city from Germany, Ms. Reimchen said one of the first things she noticed was that the homegrown brand was something of a Vancouver uniform. “So that was kind of like a statement – that was something where I realized I need something from Aritzia as well to be part of Vancouver.”
Meliza Marcos, 22, visiting from Edmonton
In town for the Drake concert, Ms. Marcos was on a hunt for deals from a couple of local retailers, having visited the Vancouver-based Oak + Fort warehouse sale before this one. Social media posts about the sale drew her in. “I looked at a lot of TikToks and I saw that there was a lot of good stuff.”
Ava Tancré, 17, with Carys Gould, 16, Port Coquitlam
The sale can be chaotic, with social media posts showing customers sorting through piles of discarded items on the floor. Ms. Tancré said she was looking to buy “anything that we can find, I guess.” While many consumers are pulling back amid the pain of inflation, Ms. Tancré was in the mood to shop. “We just want to spend lots of money and get the good deals.”
Keera Kaur, 23, Surrey, with sister Femina Yadav, 20
Lineups for the sale often begin hours before the doors open at 7 a.m. The sisters lined up through the night. “It was all fun until it started pouring,” Ms. Kaur said. She added that they rarely buy the chain’s clothing at full price. “We always go to the outlet.”
The warehouse sale began 20 years ago, though it was forced to take a two-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aritzia has advertised this year’s instalment as its biggest sale to date. But the event is also taking place as the Vancouver-based retailer tries to shift its retail strategy – with sales growth having recently slowed after two explosive years for the chain.
In July, the company reported a 47.5-per-cent drop in profits in its first quarter, and downgraded its previous growth forecast for this fiscal year. Inflation hurts shoppers, but also puts the squeeze on companies’ profitability, as they face higher costs to produce their products.
Abi Garth, 18, visiting from Edmonton
The purpose of a warehouse sale is to clear out old inventory, and making extra room will be important for the retailer this year as it aims for a more refreshed product line by spring. “A lot of the things are very similar than they were a few years ago,” Ms. Garth said.
Emma McQueen, 20, Port Moody
Ms. McQueen usually tries to save money by buying clothes at thrift shops. “It’s so much cheaper,” she said. She doesn’t buy Aritzia clothes at full price, she added. “That’s kind of the appeal of this.”
Sina Sanjari, 50, Coquitlam
Despite being up before the sun to be here, Mr. Sanjari was not shopping. “I’m just her chaperone,” he said referring to his daughter, who was in line with friends. He was hoping his daughter would find some savings. “Everything is higher than before because of this inflation, so we are thinking that maybe the sale … is cheaper than the stores.”
Justin Policarpio, 21, University of British Columbia
A judicious shopper who generally tries to keep a lid on his spending, Mr. Policarpio said inflation has not affected him too deeply – but it is on his mind. “I’m more conscious about it.” He came to the event mainly, he said, “for the vibes.”
Not all shoppers feel the pressure of inflation equally. Shopper Abi Garth said she has not been forced to cut back, because she still lives at home. “But I can see how it affects other people around me for sure,” she said. Canadians have been facing tougher decisions about how to spend their money, leading some in the retail industry to warn that consumer demand is shifting – especially among the most debt-burdened households, who are spending less on discretionary purchases. While some big sales – like this one – happen every year, Canadian retailers could be feeling added pressure from what’s known in the industry as “promotional intensity,” or stores offering more discounts to attract shoppers. But the trends are not universal: Another Vancouver-based retailer, Lululemon Athletica Inc., just reported strong earnings and sales growth in its latest quarter. And Lululemon executives stressed that they are not offering more markdowns than they did last year, boasting of their ability to sell a large amount of their merchandise at full price.
Olivia Sing, 20, Langley
While many in line were in the mood to spend, some said they came to the sale partly because they avoid the stores, finding the regular prices too steep. “I don’t have a lot of things from them at full price just because it’s kind of expensive for how basic some of the clothes are,” Ms. Sing said.
Valeska Munro (left), 15, Delta, and Gurleen Shergill (right), 15, Surrey
To keep shelves full during the pandemic-related supply-chain snarls, Aritzia focused on stocking up on bestsellers. But the downside of that plan, CEO Jennifer Wong said in July, is that the stores did not offer enough “newness” to shoppers. Ms. Munro said she noticed, but it didn’t stop her from buying the clothing at full price. “I like their old collection.”
These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity. The photos have been assembled to roughly reflect the lineup.
Produced by Ming Wong, Jeremy Agius, Liz Sullivan