Thousands of shoppers had been lining up since the wee hours of Boxing Day to take advantage of some of the largest price cuts in the past ten years.
With sales expected to be the highest in five years, chaotic scenes broke out in London, Manchester, Liverpool, and Newcastle as customers pushed their way inside retailers.
Large lines formed across the UK as early risers attempted to take advantage of anticipated price reductions offered by merchants looking to get rid of extra inventory after Christmas.
Customers in Liverpool and the Trafford Centre in Greater Manchester eagerly waited in line for Lush, a store that was especially popular since bath bombs were on sale for up to 50 per cent off.
Lush’s website was placing customers in a digital queue as online shoppers tried to steal a deal.
As the sun was rising in central London, more enthusiastic customers were seen forming lines outside Selfridges, Harrods, and Primark.
Analysts estimate that shoppers might spend up to £4.7 billion today.
According to data by Barclays Bank, the average spend per customer was estimated to be £253, with males expected to spend £90 more than women.
The bank predicts that Boxing Day spending would be £67 higher than in 2019 and £24 higher per person than in previous years, even though inclement weather and COVID pandemic limitations have hurt sales in previous years.
One of the deals from Robert Dyas is a Swan Camden 2-Slice Toaster, which is now only £21.99 instead of £37.99, saving customers £16.
In other news, Lakeland’s £99.99 Dry: Soon Drying Pod is now only £69.99.
However, not all of that will be spent on the high street itself, as big-name businesses like John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, and Next opted to rely on online sales and closed their doors one extra day after Christmas.
Wickes, Home Bargains, Aldi, and Iceland are among the other firms who have decided to keep their stores closed on Boxing Day. The majority of Waitrose locations will also be closed as well.
This morning, shoppers who were out and about observed that it was “definitely quieter” than in previous years when there had been throngs of people looking for deals.
‘We were here last year and the waits were considerably longer – there was a clear difference,’ stated 47-year-old Tufael Ahmed of Oxford Street in London.
I bet if you questioned everyone in that queue, they would say that the cost of living is causing them hardship and that they can’t afford to put the central heating on. They can’t afford to eat et cetera but they’ll go out and spend a bunch of money on cheap tat that they don’t need.
Glancing at the queues, Christmas doesn’t mean much to most of them.
It’s a shame that these shops don’t agree to close for at least two days so that they can give the poor shop workers a break. It should be a mandatory three-day break from non-essentials, it would do us all good.
Unfortunately, 80 per cent of our economy is based on people buying stuff even if it’s bought using some type of credit, that’s how mad it is.
My thoughts go out to all those staff who have to put up with smug, disrespectful and horrid punters, and let’s face it, retail staff only get Christmas Day off and the rest is just a blur.
As much as it’s nice to go out, get some fresh air and have a small shop on Boxing Day, these people who work in the retail business have families of their own. Understandably, some people want to work on Boxing Day, but there are a lot that don’t like it and want a rest and would prefer to spend it with their families, but we have become a greedy nation.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 