IT’S MIDNIGHT MADNESS
CHRISTMAS SHOPPERS QUEUE THROUGH THE NIGHT FOR PRIMARK AFTER LOCKDOWN RESTRICTIONS LIFTED
HARDY Christmas shoppers braved the chill to queue through the night as Primark marked the end of England’s second national lockdown by keeping a handful of its stores open for 24 hours.
The clothing chain, which like all non-essential stores was closed for four weeks, opened nine shopping centre stores overnight, including branches in Leeds, Gateshead, Manchester and Birmingham.
Pictures and videos posted on social media showed shoppers queuing around metal barriers in the early hours of yesterday morning as they attempted to take advantage of the opportunity.
Student Katie Eames, 24, who went to the White Rose branch in Leeds, said she and her housemate wanted to go for the novelty value.
‘We decided we would just go at midnight because we thought it’s never going to happen again that you can go at midnight to Primark,’ she said.
She arrived at the store at around 12am and queued for about an hour to get in. Ms Eames said it ‘wasn’t too busy’ and was ‘completely normal’ inside. ‘By the time we left at two there was no queue at all, so I think we must have come when everyone else was starting to come,’ she added.
Despite the weather being ‘very cold’, most people in the queue were in good spirits and she ended up buying ‘a few bits and pieces’.
Also making the most of the unusual opening hours was TV star Stacey Solomon. ‘I woke up at 4am and went for a late night, early morning nose,’ she posted. ‘It was so empty and peaceful I just walked around for ages.’
Meanwhile, shoppers in Liverpool also returned to the city centre, taking advantage of the area being moved down from Tier 3 to Tier 2.