Early risers queued outside shops before the sun had even rose in search of bargains on Thursday.
Shoppers were out in force to snap up the best of the St Stephen’s Day sales, with some queuing as early as 6am outside Brown Thomas in Dublin.
There were more than 100 people waiting for doors to open while scenes were similar across the Liffey at Arnotts.
And despite the queues drawing a lot of attention on social media, buyers were adamant that it was worth it.
One happy shopper said: “I wasn’t one of the ones who queued up but I did pop into the Brown Thomas sale and got a gorgeous bag.
“I’m delighted with myself!”
Others felt that shoppers should instead be spending the time at home with their nearest and dearest.
One said: “Why are people queuing so early? Go spend that time with your family.”
Donald McDonald, Managing Director, at Brown Thomas and Arnotts said: “We have had a very busy run in the lead up to Christmas and it was great to see plenty of early rising bargain hunters outside our store this morning.
“At Arnotts we always strive to provide our customers with a great shopping experience alongside an unparalleled offering of world class brands.
“There is a great atmosphere in store on St. Stephen’s Day and excitement amongst our customers as it’s a great opportunity for them to enjoy big reductions on their favourite brands and items they’ve been wanting.
“The demand is always strong across Brown Thomas, particularly for womenswear, menswear and handbags as many items are up to 50% off the original price.
“Not only are our customers picking up sale items, they take an early opportunity to shop new season arrivals also.”
The womenswear department was thriving with big savings on premium fashion brands like Marella, Tara Jarmon, Set and Michael Kors.
While those in the market for a new handbag saw massive savings on Kate Spade, Coach, Michael Kors and Olga Berg.
Retail sales climbed by 3% in 2019 as shopping continues to boom across the country.
Following this, Fine Gael Senator Catherine Noone has highlighted new consumer protections for shoppers.
She said: “With retail figures booming in a strengthening economy, it is really important that we protect consumer rights.
“Government legislation introduced towards the end of this year brings good news for anyone that received gift vouchers as Christmas presents.
“The new law ensures that all gift vouchers have a minimum expiry date of five years – bringing much needed certainty to consumers. Too many people previously lost out when their voucher expired.
“This new law gives shoppers time and choice. It also brings consistency, as in the past there was often confusion over expiry dates, with the big retailers ranging from six months to a couple of years.
“A set expiry date of five years will give certainty to anyone receiving a voucher as well as giving peace of mind to the person gifting the voucher.”
