A staff member of Penneys said scenes inside the shops were “absolutely mental” on Tuesday.
Thousands of shoppers across the country are flocking to retail outlets again today before they shut for six weeks.
And one worker in the in Nutgrove Shopping Centre told the Irish Mirror they were struggling to deal with the queues.
They said: “It’s mental, people are buying whatever they can grab.
“Luckily the company were great to us when we were shut the last time so I’m not too worried about money but I know lots of other people aren’t that lucky.”
New rules that will see the likes of Penneys, Smyths and H&M close until December saw people stocking up while others panic-bought toilet roll and other household items before lockdown kicked in.
Mum-of-two Vilmante Petrauskas told The Irish Mirror she was queuing for Penneys in Nutgrove, Dublin, to make sure her kids were kitted out as the temperature dips.
She said: “I am not looking forward to another lockdown but I understand it must be done.
“My children are back at school and I wanted to make sure I had enough warm clothes for them as the weather gets colder.
“I have already picked up a lot of things but wanted to go for one last trip to Penneys before it shuts.”
And shoppers Triona Barrow and Edward Moriarty, who were looking for some last minute supplies in Dundrum, Dublin, said: “We usually go to a Halloween party every year with our friend group but because of the restrictions we’re doing it over Zoom.
“We wanted to go out and get the last bits to make our costumes, we’re trying to shop local where we can.
“The bit of DIY helps keep us busy too.”
