THEY were queuing from before dawn to try to find a Boxing Day bargain at Bristol's major shopping centres yesterday.
By 6am yesterday, nearly 800 people had queued outside the Next store in Cabot Circus where all items were half-price or less.
There were also queues outside nearby high-profile store Harvey Nichols.
The shopping centre, which has attracted hundreds of thousands of shoppers in the run up to Christmas, saw bargain hunters travel from as far away as Swindon and Yeovil.
Up at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, shoppers were queuing from 3am for the stores to open at 5am.
Dilys Protheroe, 42, a transport planner from Weston-super-Mare, said she got up at 4.45am and arrived at Cabot Circus at about 6.20am.
"Money is tight and I've just not been spending any money on clothes," she said.
"I decided to travel up to Cabot Circus because there is so much more choice."
Hibak Ibrahim, 17, turned up at Cabot Circus with her two sisters from St Paul's at about 5am.
"We've bought loads of clothes – pyjamas, jeans and perfumes – and still not finished shopping," she said.
Cabot Circus director Kevin Duffy, said 2012 had been a difficult year for stores but there had been a surge in sales during the past few weeks.
He said: "Most retailers are in line with last year or seeing some growth which is a great achievement in the current climate.
"Today there is a real buzz in the centre as people take advantage of the fantastic discounts on offer.
"The sales between Boxing Day and New Year are a great time for consumers to build up their wardrobe for less, and the economic climate is putting more focus on sales as shoppers look closely at what they are spending.
"In particular, some of the most coveted items are the designer labels and brands – people still want luxurious brands and this is where some serious savings can be made."
Jonathan Edwards, commercial director at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, said: "All in all, we are quite pleased how the sales have gone.
"We had a slow start at the beginning of December but during the last couple of weeks we have seen our footfall go up by four per cent on the previous December.
"It has certainly not been terrible and neither has it been amazing but given the financial circumstances, we can feel quite pleased and positive for the next 12 months."
Colin Lang, centre manager at The Galleries, Broadmead, said: "If December's figures are anything to go by then the outlook for The Galleries in 2013 and this initial sale period is very positive.
"Footfall at the centre in December is some four per cent up when compared with 2011 so we're certainly bucking the national trend which currently stands at minus five per cent.
"Our new Food Court is proving popular with customers as is the new anchor retailer 99p Stores where we're told sales since opening in November have surpassed early predictions and expectations."
Sue Stones, General Manager of Harvey Nichols, said: "We have seen a very strong pre-Christmas performance and expect that to follow through the sales.
"From initial feedback, and looking at our pre-Christmas performance, we are expecting a very busy and successful trading period in the coming weeks.
"Sales at stores like Harvey Nichols are traditionally very successful, as those people who wouldn't normally splash out on designer labels are able to afford the season's must-have bag, jacket or shoes.
"We will be starting our sale with 50 per cent reductions across all the departments, which makes the likes of Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and Dolce & Gabbana more tempting to a wider range of shoppers."
Source: http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Shoppers-hunt-Boxing-Day-bargains/story-17690395-detail/story.html
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