SALES GALORE
RETAIL MADNESS:
BARGAIN hunters have put their skills to the test by packing out shopping centres across Cairns while searching for the city’s best deals.
An emerging trend in Boxing Day sales this year has been parents shopping with their children for delayed Christmas gifts.
Kewarra Beach’s Jenna Bate and her son Jack Bate, 13, made a beeline for JB Hi-Fi to pick up an Xbox One.
“This is what I wanted for Christmas, but I was willing to wait until Boxing Day for it,” Jack said.
“I knew it would be a lot cheaper.”
Mrs Bate said she was grateful that her children were patient enough to wait until after Christmas for big-ticket items.
“It makes it much cheaper this time of the year,” she said.
“I saved about $150, which could be used to buy Jack a couple of games.
“I’m a Boxing Day fanatic, I love Boxing Day sales, so I think I’ve passed that on to my kids.”
While some ventured into the belly of the Boxing Day beast with a plan, others were just trying to score whatever bargains they could find.
Kirsten Young, from Brinsmead, was one of those casual shoppers.
“I do this every Boxing Day, it’s great to see what kind of sales are going on,” she said.
“It’s a great time to spend all the vouchers that you get on Christmas Day.”
Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath is urging anyone in Cairns to set reminders for their gift card expiry dates this week.
“Now that Christmas has wrapped up, a few simple things such as setting a reminder in your calendar or diary to use a gift card before it expires can prevent frustration down the track,” she said.
“If you received a gift card, check the expiry date carefully because the clock starts ticking when it is purchased, so you may have less time to use the card than you realise.
“Some retailers will honour expired gift cards but they are under no legal obligation to do so.”
She said it was important to treat gift cards like credit cards by keeping them in a safe place, reading the terms and conditions, and writing the expiry date on the card.