Thousands of Boxing Day bargain hunters have been queuing up since the early hours to get their hands on some of the biggest discounts in the last decade.
Chaotic scenes erupted throughout London, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle today as shoppers muscled their way to get into stores – with sales set to be the biggest in five years.
Massive queues could be seen throughout the UK as early risers tried to take advantage of expected discounts from retailers trying to shift surplus stock after Christmas.
One shop particularly in demand was Lush, where shoppers in Liverpool and the Trafford Centre in Greater Manchester waited patiently – with up to 50 per cent off on bath bombs on sale on the other side.
Lush’s website is currently placing customers in a digital queue as online shoppers try to steal a deal.
Other eager bargain hunters were spotted forming lines outside Selfridges, Harrods and Primark in central London as the sun was still rising on a day where analysts say as much as £4.7billion could be spent by shoppers.
It is predicted that the average spend per shopper will be £253, with men expected to spend £90 more than women, according to research by Barclays bank.
A long queue of people waits outside Harrods in Knightsbridge this morning before the store opens
A member of staff gives shoppers waiting in line pastries as they gather at the opening of Harrods today
Shoppers gather outside Selfridges in central London on Boxing Day morning in a bid to be among the first inside once it opens
A large group of shoppers rush into Primark in Newcastle city centre this morning
Crowds gather outside Lush in Nottingham this morning ahead of the post-Christmas sales
Massive queues form outside shops in Bicester Village, where revellers are hoping to get their hand on a bargain
In recent years Boxing Day sales have been hit by bad weather and Covid pandemic restrictions, but the bank says it expects the amount spent to be £24 higher per person compared to last year, and up £67 on 2019.
Deals include a Swan Camden 2-Slice Toaster at Robert Dyas down from £37.99 to £21.99 – saving shoppers £16.
Elsewhere, While the Dry:Soon Drying Pod that was £99.99 at Lakeland is now £69.99.
However, not all of that will spent on the high street itself, as major retailers such as Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Next keep their stores shut for an extra day after Christmas, instead deciding to rely on online trade.
Other brands keeping their stores closed until tomorrow include Wickes, Home Bargains, Aldi and Iceland, while most Waitrose stores will also remain shut today.
Shoppers who were out and about this morning remarked on how it was ‘definitely quieter’ than in years gone by there had been hoards of people trying to find bargains
Tufael Ahmed, 47, who was on London’s Oxford Street, said: ‘We were here last year and the queues were much longer – there’s a marked difference.’
Mr Ahmed, who works as a finance controller, said he thought the cost-of-living crisis had ‘definitely’ affected what people were willing to spend.
He said: ‘I just don’t think people have money and you get the impression that the retailers have already discounted things before and now they’re taking it for granted.
‘Obviously, mortgage payments and energy costs have gone up and that’s had an effect on what people are spending.’
Rola, 21, who was visiting London from Egypt, said: ‘I think it’s been quite quiet so far – I went to Selfridges and it was quieter than usual.’
Speaking shortly before 10.30am on Tuesday, she added: ‘A lot of shops are not even open yet, so I think most of the visitors in London are not early risers.’
Despite the smaller than usual crowds, the public is still expected to splash the cash both in person and online in a bid to find bargains.
Retail expert Lisa Hooker, of accountants PwC, said retailers will offer ‘deep discounts’ to shift unsold stock, with good deals expected on toys, tech, home furnishings and DIY.
Customers queue outside Harrods this morning as they try to get an early start on the Boxing Day sales
Shoppers queue outside Selfridges in central London this morning eager to take advantage of the Boxing Day sales
People queue outside Primark in central London this morning as they seek bargains in the post-Christmas sales
Despite the smaller than usual crowds, the public is still expected to splash the cash both in person and online in a bid to find bargains
Predicting spending levels in the Boxing Day sales is notoriously difficult, with a study by Barclays coming up with a figure of £4.7billion, which is £1billion more than vouchercodes.
It said that fashion items such as clothes, shoes and accessories are the most sought-after products.
Barclays said: ‘With many retailers deciding to give staff the day off this Boxing Day, over three quarters of shoppers will be searching for deals online instead.’
Its consumer research found 23 per cent plan to start sales shopping online on Christmas Eve with 17 per cent on Christmas Day and 27 per cent on Boxing Day.
Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: ‘While Boxing Day remains the most popular day to start bargain-hunting, retailers are no longer putting all their eggs in one basket and are instead spreading out their discounts to boost ongoing demand -very similar to what we saw with early Back Friday deals in November.’
Meanwhile analysts at VoucherCodes.co.uk suggested that the despite the amount of money being spent going up, the number of people on the streets will actually go down for the fifth year in a row.
They predict that 15.3million people will shop today with total spending of around £3.7billion – £1billion less than the experts at Barclays.
Its experts estimate that £2.31billion of this will be spent on high streets and at shopping centres – a fall of 6.8 per cent on last year – and some £1.37billion online, an increase of 4.4 per cent.
The company said: ‘Despite large numbers of shoppers planning to make purchases on December 26, total sales are expected to drop for the fifth year running because of the ongoing cost of living crisis and falling enthusiasm for Boxing Day.
‘This trend is set to continue in the post-Christmas sales week with year-on-year sales dropping 3.8 per cent from £14.06billion in 2022 to £13.53billion.’
People line up outside Selfridges this morning on a day where some experts predict more than £4billion could be spent across Britain
Shoppers walk into Selfridges as it opens this morning after it opened
Bargain hunters outside Selfridges this morning as retailers put big discounts on surplus stock
Shoppers walk along Oxford Street in central London as the Boxing Day sales get underway
Shoppers pack out Bicester Village near Oxford looking for bargains
The company estimates that the total number of visits to the sales through to New Year will hit 102.4million, a fall of 1.9 per cent on last year.
Anita Naik, savings expert at VoucherCodes.co.uk, said: ‘The Boxing Day sales are now a luxury many people are refraining from as the nation continues to contend with inflated prices.’
Clare Bailey, founder of Retail Champion, told the Telegraph that the decision by some brands to keep their stores closed is driven by the amount of people doing their shopping online.
She said: ‘The internet has taken the edge off. When the retailers close the doors on Christmas Eve, they break into sales online. So you buy it all then.
‘There’s no real incentive to leave the house and get into queues and struggle to find parking on Boxing Day, because actually, you can do it all online. You beat the crowds because you get all the early release discounts,’ she said.
‘The retailers have done this so that people can enjoy that experience and it also takes the pressure off staff in store.’
It came as research by Mastercard showed physical spending in stores across the festive period was up 3.5 per cent on last year, while online spending had declined by 2.8 per cent.
Restaurant spending sharply increased by 11.4 per cent along with clothing (8.0 per cent) and jewellery (8.3 per cent), according to the research.
The data, shared by Mastercard SpendingPulse for the first time, analysed UK retail spending from November 1 to December 24.
It measured in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment and was not adjusted for inflation.
Total UK retail sales were up 2.6 per cent year-on-year, and in-store sales were up 3.5 per cent as shoppers came back to the high street.
Electronic sales were also slightly up by 1.9 per cent, but there was a considerable spike on Cyber Monday, with an increase of 9.2 per cent compared with 2022.
Natalia Lechmanova, senior economist at Europe for Mastercard, said: ‘The British consumer has been savvy with their spending this year. Although overall retail spend is relatively flat, we’ve seen an increase in spending on Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions when it comes to electronics in particular.
‘Shoppers have been willing to splash out for gifts, with spend on jewellery and clothing up considerably year-on-year, but wanted to do so at the right price.
‘We’ve also seen a cautiously optimistic return to the high street. British consumers want to celebrate during the festive period, and we’ve seen spend on restaurants increase by over 10 per cent as people continue to value experiences and spending time together post-pandemic.’