Two Dublin Penneys stores are set to stay open for a staggering 38 hours straight in some Christmas shopping madness this weekend.
The Dundrum and Blanchardstown Penneys stores will open at 8am on Friday December 18, powering right through to the closing time of 10pm on Saturday December 19.
The unprecedented decision was made in a bid to reduce queues and allow people to shop safely in the run up to the festivities.
Additional security measures will be brought in to ensure customers can shop safely.
To support the overnight opening hours, Penneys has increased its night time security staff by almost 70% to manage customer queues and help ensure they feel safe while shopping.
The special arrangements are in addition to extensive health and safety measures already in place at the stores, including strict social distancing protocols, limits on the number of customers allowed in store and requiring the use of face coverings in queues and in store.
Penneys will also post updates on Twitter from 8pm on December 18 to 8am on December 19 with hourly queue waiting time updates at both stores to let customers know the quietest times to visit both outlets.
A spokesperson for Penneys said: "Ahead of Christmas, Penneys has put extended shopping hours in place across its stores specifically to manage customer demand by spreading shopping hours over a longer period of time.
"Penneys continues to closely follow all government advice in its stores, and as part of the rigorous health and safety measures in place, it has dedicated employees and extra security staff on hand to manage queues outside stores, in partnership with shopping centre management and local councils.
"To support overnight opening hours, Penneys has increased its night time security staff by almost 70 per cent to manage customer queues and help ensure customers feel safe when they are shopping."
Penneys Director of Sales Olivia Kelly added that the safety of their employees and customers remains their highest priority.
She said: "The ability to stay open through the night has meant more shoppers can shop safely with us over the festive season.
"We would like to thank customers for their continued cooperation on our social distancing policy and remind them to be considerate of our safety measures, and of others, both while queuing outside and in-store."
