Retailers say takings were well down on what was expected to be the busiest shopping day of the year, as people stayed at home in large numbers.

The snow and lack of buses meant the adventurous and those who could walk had the shops to themselves on Saturday.

Bosses at the Strand Shopping Centre in Douglas say footfall was down by as much as 50 per cent.

But manager John Shakespeare is hopeful there is still time to make up some lost ground in the coming week (play audio file):

Shoppers returned in droves on Sunday.

Traders at Tynwald Mills in St John's employed private contractors to keep the roads to the mall clear, and offered free hot drinks to visitors to the complex.

Strand Street in Douglas looked more like a Saturday than a Sunday.