And what we've seen time and again is that right near the top of that list is the truth that regardless of what else might be happening in the world, people still love a bargain.

With Christmas now behind us many keen shoppers' attention will turn immediately to the prospect of Boxing Day and post-Christmas sales, with research from the Australian Retailers Association forecasting Australians will spend around $19.5 billion during this period.

That's an eye-watering figure and, coming at the end of a year where many businesses were forced to close their doors for months on end, it's one that could prove crucial for some them continuing into 2021.

Ongoing concerns over COVID transmissions mean we (hopefully) will not see a repeat of the scenes from Boxing Days past when massive crowds have almost broken down the doors at the largest department stores in a human crush to grab the best buys.

But even if the numbers in-store are down on previous years, the money pouring into the tills won't be.

Long after the threat of COVID has passed our local retailers will still be fighting the threat of online shopping but, pleasingly, this year appears to have turned the tide for them a little.

The COVID shutdowns reminded many shoppers just how important a local shopping is to a community and gave a small taste of what it would be like to live without one. And many did not like it.

The response has been a renewed focus on shopping locally and supporting those businesses that support our city.

We hope to see a lot more of that over the next few days, giving Bathurst businesses the best possible chance to end a difficult year with a well-earned smile on their faces.