Sales off to storming start as bargains snapped up

The shopping storm came after the calm when some of the winter sales kicked off yesterday morning.

In a welcome turnaround for businesses from a pre-Christmas spending dip, bargain-hunters queued from 1.30am outside the likes of Next in Blackpool Retail Park in Cork to snap up heavily discounted clothes, homeware and other goods on sale when doors opened at 6am.

Staff at Brown Thomas in the city centre reported the longest post-Christmas sales queue for many years.

And although it was frosty, the rain that dampened retailers’ spirits in the lead-up to Christmas stayed away.

Brown Thomas had Mandarin-speaking staff on duty to help their Chinese customers in search of bargains at its Dublin and other stores.

“For our Chinese customers it is an opportunity to pick up a fabulous gift in advance of Chinese New Year. Chinese people have a great love of western brands. Even when items aren’t on sale, they are cheaper than they are used to,” said Brown Thomas managing director Stephen Sealey.

Other department stores in the capital also had long queues, including Arnotts and the recently reopened Clerys. Shoes, fragrances and furniture were among the categories most in demand when Debenhams opened doors at its 11 department stores, reporting up to €14m in savings on offer.

The busy day of winter sales appears to match the predictions of Retail Excellence Ireland, which reported a disappointing slide in Christmas trading when compared to last year. This was attributed to the washout weather of the final two weekends before Christmas, and left business down by the same 1% or 2% that they expected to increase year-on-year.

But yesterday’s evidence suggests consumers were simply holding onto their money for better prices.

“Retailers tell us that up to noon, activity was up 8% to 10% on the same time last year. One suggested they did the same amount of business in the first hour as what was taken in half of the first sales day last year,” said Retail Excellence Ireland chief executive David Fitzsimons.

He said fashion, footwear and prestige luxury were the main focus of shopper interest.

“In the good old years, our homes would be impeccable with new sofas and TVs and we’d be dressed in new Christmas outfits, but consumers are happy now to wait and get their Christmas style with 50% to 70% off,” he said.

With more stock left to sell, the discounts may be among the largest seen for many years, as shops need to sell off lines ready for next season’s fashions, furniture, electrical goods and other items.

There was a 2am start to the queue for the Next store at Opera Lane in Cork city centre, where a spokesperson said baby clothes were a big attraction, with party dresses, accessories and evening wear also strong sellers.

And the bad weather may have been a boost to at least one store, as a spokeswoman for Oasis at the Mahon Point shopping centre said last Sunday and Monday were incredibly busy, as was yesterday.

“People are after anything they think is a bargain but coats are the main thing.

“Everyone is looking at the coats, particularly the leather ones,” she said.

Shoppers let their fingers, not their feet, search for bargains as they go online

Shoppers are increasingly beating the queues and saving their feet as well as their funds by going online and snapping up the bargains with their fingers.

Dunnes Stores had an online sale, offering 50% off up to midnight last night.

The value of online sales reached around €4.6bn in Ireland this year, and Retail Excellence Ireland says the country is Europe’s fastest-growing e-commerce market.

Debenhams.ie reported online sales up on this time last year, with many customers starting their sales shopping from the comfort of home on Christmas Day.

For some savvy consumers the internet has become a place to do their own bit of retailing, particularly those reluctant to say they did not like their Christmas presents.

Auction site eBay reports that listings for computers and tablets rose 25% on Christmas Day, and says that eight out of 10 people it surveyed would consider reselling an unwanted gift.

Its sister website Gumtree had iPhone and PlayStation as the top items entered in its search fields on Christmas day. And in a suggestion that one sex is harder to please than the other, 10 times as many items of women’s clothing were listed on eBay than men’s garments.

Among some of the items listed on eBay.ie since Christmas morning, which the sellers describe as unwanted gifts, are:

* a brand new Michael Kors ladies watch (starting bid €190)

* two PlayStation 4 games (€30 and €35)

* 64GB Apple iPod touch (current bid €180)

* a new Hermes scarf (starting bid €209)

* 9-carat gold Figaro chain (starting bid €420).

The trend may reflect the survey finding that half of people who receive a gift they don’t like will still enthusiastically thank their benefactors and hide their true feelings.

Children are deemed the easiest to buy for, slightly easier than a wife or husband.

Irish consumers admitted in high numbers that they have gone out to buy a gift for someone else but bought it for themselves instead.