Shoppers brave cold to snap up cool sales
His 17-hour wait in arctic conditions was worth a cool €1,545 - the gleaming Smeg fridge from Clerys store cost him just €10.
The 27-year-old civil servant from Lucan, Co Dublin, began his lonely vigil at 4pm on St Stephen’s Day.
“If there had been two or three people queuing I wouldn’t have bothered but there was no one when I came,” said Adam, well togged out against the biting cold.
Early shoppers queued at Next fashion store in Dublin’s Jervis Street well before dawn. Once again it opened its doors at 4am.
Many of the big stores opened earlier than usual, evidence of fierce competition in the retail sector this year.
“What happens now is that the level of items being bought moves into hundreds and in some cases thousands of euro,” said Small Firms Association director Pat Delaney.
“What people buy changes,” he said. “What they buy before Christmas are personal gifts and what they buy after Christmas are either for themselves or their homes.”
Confidence is high in the booming economy, with consumer spending over the Christmas period estimated to top €4 billion.
Many people waited until after Christmas to snap up the “big ticket items” such as white goods, TVs, computers and furniture, which are greatly reduced in the sales.
In Limerick’s Crescent Centre, the clothes shops were reported to be packed, especially by young people, lured by 50%-off bargains.
Athlone’s Arramount furniture store was said to be “a lot busier” yesterday than before Christmas. “People seem to have plenty of money to spend,” a staff member said.
Leather suites were a big draw, the Geraldine model being slashed for the sale from €2,200 to €1,649.
“It’s absolutely unbelievable,” said sales director Jonathan Smith at the Blackpool branch of Soundstore in Cork. “It is certainly the busiest day we’ve had this year.
“Before Christmas it was very much MP3 players and that kind of thing. We’re very busy with the domestic appliances, as people are looking to re-do their kitchens,” said Mr Smith.
“It’s very much across the board - TVs, videos, computers, printers.”
Bargain hunters now have just another two weeks to go.
€10 - for fridge costing €1,545.
50% off - on selected items at Brown Thomas, Arnotts, Clerys stores.
€75 - Half-price jeans and men’s shirts, Gentlemen Please, Glasthule, Co Dublin.
Sasha - 50% off accessories, 30%-50% off all other stock.
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