Shoppers form an orderly queue for sales
EARLY Boxing Day sales queues have become an expected part of the festive break and, despite the pandemic, people turned out as usual on Saturday to take advantage of the bargains on offer.
However, there were far fewer shoppers in the city centre than has been seen in previous years.
Next, which in the past has seen huge crowds outside its Highcross store on Boxing Day, attracted an early queue but it was tiny compared to previous years.
The line stretched to Causeway Lane, but individuals and small groups were standing well apart, making it look busier than it was in reality.
Many people in the queue were already wearing their masks, while security guards were on hand to ensure people who were not together were socially distanced from those in front of them.
One shopper told the Mercury: “One guy in a high-vis jacket was going up to people in the queue and asking them if they were with the people next to them.
“If they said they weren’t, he was asking them to move further apart.
“It was pretty good to be honest. I didn’t know what to expect.
“I feared it was going to be a big mess, with people in big groups not caring about Covid, but everyone was calm and quiet, standing apart and most were wearing masks, so I was pretty impressed overall.”
By midday, footfall was down an average of 60 per cent across the UK compared with last year, according to retail experts Springboard, and shoppers were expected to spend £1 billion less, according to Barclaycard.
Footfall in Tier 4 regions of England, which includes London and the south-east, fell by 77.3 per cent compared with last year, and even in Tiers 2 and 3 areas, such as Leicestershire, where shops are open, footfall was down by 38.2 per cent and 42.4 per cent respectively, according to Springboard.