All You Need To Know About Christmas & Boxing Day Sale
Black Friday has been and gone, capped off an incredibly successful Cyber Monday, but the holiday sales are not over yet. Oh no, for Britons there are still the big ones over Christmas and Boxing Day. Once upon a time, retailers held their entire sale back for one spectacular launch on Boxing Day. However, in the last few years, in a crowded marketplace, many shops have launched part of their sale early to capture additional footfall. Do notice we said part of their sale. Some lines are marked for sale and will launch early, while others will be held back for the later launch. Yes, it’s a marketing scheme, but it’s one that you can take full advantage of!
By doing some research and knowing your retailers and your best buys, you can take full advantage of both sales. You don’t need to go all out early, but you can still grab some great buys before the Boxing Day sales launch (but you won’t want to miss out on that Next sale come Boxing Day, even if it means standing in line at 4 in the morning).
1. Opening Times
If you are planning to visit the brick and mortar shops (which are kind of a must for these types of sales) then you need to do double check the opening times of the shops you plan to visit. This will allow you to plan your shop accordingly. You’ll also want to prioritise those shops that tend to get heavy traffic for their sales, you don’t want to miss out on an amazing buy because you decided to pop into another shop first.
Most stores operate longer hours during the holiday season, so you can even do some shopping once your workday finishes. Do know, though, that come to Christmas Eve many shops close by 4 pm.
2. Reconnaissance
In the run-up to sale, retailers start to move product into one area to make it easier for employees to sign and mark the product down. Pop into the shops you prefer ahead of time and see what kind of movement is happening. This will give you a head start on the competition and you can get a better idea of what items you want that are going into the upcoming sale.
Retailers are notoriously short-staffed, even with the influx of Christmas temps, so it’s impossible for the employees to be subtle about what they’re doing. You’ll see them running around with sheets of paper and possibly even readying their sale signs for launch. It’s a dead giveaway of what you can expect to see a plunge in price. Whether your plan is to get some extra Christmas presents or you’re buying for yourself. Of course, you might want to go ahead and start shopping for next Christmas.
3. Plotting Your Assault On The High Street
You’re armed with opening times; you’ve done the necessary recon, now it’s time to plot your course! Nobody knows the high street as well as you do so take the time to note what shops you plan to visit, what items you want to get while you’re there, and then use the opening times to arrange the order you’re going to shop in. Sale shopping is an art form and you are the greatest artist to ever live.
4. Look After Yourself
Things can get pretty dicey when the sales are on, so be sure you look after yourself. Make sure your handbag is zipped and keep it close to the front of your body. Don’t get into any arguments or fights over a cardigan because nothing is worth a physical altercation. You just never know who will try to tussle with you – it’s not worth it.
Don’t forget to eat! You don’t want to pass out while standing in a queue, so keep some handy snacks in your handbag, just in case. Plan your shop around meal times so you can avoid having to waste time waiting in a fast food queue.
Shopping on Christmas Eve is no one’s ideal, but if you’re looking to bag a food bargain you may want to swing by your favourite supermarket near closing time to see what they’ve had to mark down due to being closed for the holiday. They tend to slash the prices significantly as it’s better to get some money for it than to have to put it in the bin. Marks And Spencer is a great one for this, posh nosh at the lowest price possible!
Whatever you do, make sure you’ve done a bit of comparison research before you commit to any purchase. You won’t regret taking the extra time needed to get the best deal possible. The retailers might walk away with bags of cash, but the point is they won’t get as much of your cash as they would have before. You can be the big winner here.