Thousands of VERY keen shoppers queue up before dawn to score Boxing Day bargains at the shops as security remains on high alert and roads are blocked
- Shoppers have queued up well before dawn on Boxing Day morning to get their hands on the best bargains
- Myer and David Jones in Sydney and Melbourne threw open their doors at 5am as thousands lined the streets
- Barriers were installed in Sydney’s CBD as large crowds of shoppers were met with a heavy security presence
- Barricades introduced as NSW Police warned the public to be vigilant about ‘anything that doesn’t look right’
- New South Wales and Victoria expected to lead the day’s spending with totals of $871million and $825million
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Thousands of Australian shoppers have lined the streets to score a bargain in the Boxing Day sales as retailers prepare for a $2.6billion windfall on Thursday alone.
Bargain-hunters queued before dawn in Sydney and Melbourne in anticipation of Myer and David Jones throwing open their doors at 5am.
With the country’s biggest retailers slashing prices across their ranges, some had even camped outside stores overnight to ensure they were first in line to snag a deal.
The police effort to maintain high levels of security was visible on one of the busiest shopping days of the year as the large crowds were met with concrete barriers in Sydney’s CBD at Market Street.
Bargain hunters cheer as they run through the doors at David Jones’ Elizabeth Street store in Sydney on Thursday morning, after queuing before dawn and even camping overnight to score a cut-price deal
Bargain-hunters queued both in Sydney (pictured)and Melbourne as they waited for Myer and David Jones to throw open their doors at 5am
The police effort to maintain high levels of security was visible on one of the busiest shopping days of the year, with the large crowds met with concrete barriers (pictured on Sydney’s Elizabeth Street)
Barriers have been introduced in recent years by Transport NSW and NSW Police with police warning crowds to remain vigilant about ‘anything that doesn’t look right’ – despite there being no specific threat.
New South Wales is expected to lead the spending bonanza with cash registers ringing to the tune of $871 million on Thursday, followed by Victoria ($825 million) and Queensland ($420 million).
Roy Morgan’s annual Christmas retail sales forecast a total $52.7 billion spending over the season.
Australians are also getting smarter at the Boxing Day sales every year, according to consumer advocacy group Choice.
‘People are looking to save money on the big household items – washing machines, TVs, fridges and the like,’ managing editor Margaret Rafferty said.
‘Despite our enthusiasm for bargains, the reality is this is a day where retailers often try to fob off the duds they couldn’t sell throughout the year.
Barriers (pictured in Sydney’s Market Street) have been introduced in recent years by Transport NSW and NSW Police as police warned crowds to remain vigilant about ‘anything that doesn’t look right’
New South Wales is expected to lead the spending bonanza with cash registers ringing to the tune of $871 million on Thursday
‘You can pick up a bargain, but research is everything. The good news is we can see Australians doing their research well before hitting the shops.’
Meanwhile, research commissioned by Gumtree has found 54 per cent of Australian adults will receive at least one unwanted Christmas gift – and they’ll be looking to cash in.
The estimated value of these items averaged $87, with incorrectly-sized clothes topping the list.
Shoppers queue outside David Jones Elizabeth Street in Sydney, as experts said Australians are getting smarter about the Boxing Day sales every year
‘You can pick up a bargain, but research is everything. The good news is we can see Australians doing their research well before hitting the shops,’ Choice managing editor Margaret Rafferty said
Barricades are installed along Market Street in Sydney in anticipation for the beginning of Boxing Day sales
‘With more than half of Australians receiving unwanted gifts, there are plenty of people cashing in items to buy something they really want,’ Gumtree Australia spokeswoman Amanda Behre said.
Boxing Day is also forecast to become the busiest day on the National Broadband Network system.
Last Boxing Day, NBN registered an average amount of data consumed per household of 11.8GB, which meant a 69 per cent increase on the daily average of 6.98GB per household during 2018.
Boxing Day shoppers both with coffee in hand inspect the offerings at David Jones Elizabeth Street in Sydney on Thursday morning