Shoppers still seek out store sale bargains
QUEUES of shoppers still sought out Boxing Day sale bargains at some Nottingham stores despite others deciding to delay reopneing by a day and a drop in footfall across the city.
A number of retailers in the city had announced they were staying shut yesterday, with Next’s traditional 6am sale not going ahead until today.
John Lewis in the Victoria Centre also remained closed along with some of the big-name supermarkets in Nottingham – including Sainsbury’s and Morrisons – with many companies giving staff the day off as a thank you for their work during the coronavirus pandemic.
But inside the Victoria centre, long queues were spotted just outside Urban Outfitters ahead of its opening at 11am.
Shoppers were also seen lined up inside Pandora, with queues snaking outside the shop.
Boots was one of the most popular destinations, with many inside the store and waiting at the till.
Despite the busy scenes when the shops opened at 11am, by early afternoon things appeared slightly quieter,
Retail giants Zara, New Look, Primark and H&M were open for business – but they did not appear to be overly busy.
Some independent businesses also opened, including the wellknown 200 Degrees coffee shop in Old Market Square, White Rose charity shops and vintage store Braderie on Pelham Street.
Many said that the footfall “just dropped” despite the discount adverts displayed on shops’ windows in hopes of attracting customers.
Chantel Kennedy, manager at the Braderie vintage store, said: “It has been very, very quiet today.
“Usually we would be very busy on a Sunday.”
The 35-year-old added: “I think that many people just do not want to risk it, because of Covid.
“We lost so much footfall because many people are being cautious, with the cases going up.
“And shops at the Victoria Centre would get most of the footfall, not many people come down here now.”
Jen Armstrong, manager at 200 Degrees cafe on Flying Horse Walk just off Old Market Square, said; “It has been very quiet. It does not even compare to previous years.
“I think it is definitely because of Covid.
“It has really affected the footfall – it is just not as busy as it used to be.”
The popular White Rose chain has also seen a “drop in footfall”, charity shops managers claim.
Emily Gascoigne, deputy manager at the recently opened store near Old Market Square, added: “It has been very quiet, but I am expecting it to get busier in the late afternoon, once people leave the Victoria centre.
“I do not know what to expect, to be honest, because the Covid case rates are not looking good so that would put many people off.”
The 21-year-old added: “But you will always get the customers who are out for bargains anyway.
“However the footfall has just dropped generally, to be honest.”
Lucy Smith, 32, a manager at a White Rose on Market Street, added: “December has just been very quiet. It is not just on the Boxing Day.
“We tried to make 50-percent-off discounts to attract more customers.”
She added: “We will see how it goes.
“It has been our first Boxing Day when we stayed open. “Hopefully it will get better. “We definitely had a drop in footfall.”