After more than five hours, and with her family having spent "close to $3000", Layla Weber was done with Boxing Day shopping.
She curled up in the trolley - empty after an earlier run to the car - and went to sleep.
In the hours prior, Layla and her mum, dad, two sisters and brother had done the rounds of Charlestown Square.
The Central Coast family of six had arrived at the centre at 8am. They considered going to Parramatta, but wanted to avoid the Sydney traffic.
By the time they left, mum Tina said they had spent "close to $3000" and had a "full car-load" of goods snapped up at discounted prices. The purchases included Apple watches, clothes, homewares, shoes and food.
They may have splashed the cash, but the family were reminded it's always worth shopping around on price.
Tina's daughter Brooke had bought a pair of shoes for $150, only for her sister Ellie to find the same pair for $100 a few stores later.
With five of them by the trolley - and Layla in it - the Webers did well to manoeuvre through the centre, which by 4pm had seen almost 50,000 through the doors.
It was a similar scene at the region's other major shopping centres as consumers searched for a bargain among the wide array of sales.
Australians were expected to spend more than $2.6 billion on Boxing Day shopping, and with the 26th falling on a Thursday, shoppers at Charlestown, Westfield Kotara and Stockland Green Hills were able to take advantage of late-night trading.
Westfield Kotara centre manager Sarah Sylvester said the long trading hours of 8am to 9pm meant shoppers did not have to rush in to enjoy the sales.
However, she said that did not stop early morning queues, with customers lined up outside multiple stores before the doors had even rolled up.
"The customers are very savvy; they're researching online and then coming into the stores knowing what they want to purchase and are making a beeline for those products," she said.
"The volume of customers through the doors has been huge - tens of thousands."
New Lambton's Clarke Sturman, 45, his wife Victoria, 44 and their son Harrison, 7, began their day at Kotara before venturing to Charlestown about midday.
"The wife was after a food processor that broke the other day, I think we got about $200 off," Mr Sturman said.
"Myer had it for 30 or 40 per cent off."
Mr Sturman said his son Harrison had enjoyed the present spoils on Christmas Day, while he and his wife preferred to wait for the "post-Christmas sales".
Sisters Tiffany and Jessika McLean, who described themselves as "in and out" shoppers, were each carrying bags in both hands after about an hour wandering Charlestown. They were prepared for it to be busy and parked a few hundred metres away from the centre to ensure they got a park.
"We got some DVDs, [Jessika] got a vinyl stand because she got a new record player for Christmas," Tiffany, 18, said. "We're still looking for some make-up and some food."
The Macquarie Hills siblings said they found the best sales at electronics retailer JB HI-FI, where Jessika jumped at a 20 per cent discount on vinyl and Tiffany bought DVD movies for "2 for $30" or "at least 30 per cent off".
Charlestown Square's Mardi Ashkine said foot traffic in the week before Christmas was up 15 per cent on last year, and Boxing Day was tracking for a similar result.
Consumers were also advised to seek the assistance of NSW Fair Trading should a retailer refuse to refund or replace a faulty product.
"'No refund' signs and policies may not be legal," NSW Labor's consumer protection spokesperson Julia Finn said.
"If a good or service you buy someone for Christmas had major defects, then you are entitled to ask for a refund.
"If you have a minor problem with a product or service, the business can choose to give you a free repair instead of a replacement or refund. You must accept this free repair if the business offers it to you."
