Boxing Day sales draw big crowds
THOUSANDS of people descended on Toowoomba’s Grand Central shopping centre yesterday to take advantage of the Boxing Day sales.
There were reports of eager shoppers queuing outside stores such as Myer and makeup chain Mecca Maxima, waiting to get that once in a year bargain.
Anna Beahan used the sales to buy a new toasted sandwich maker from Myer.
“We’ll whack the leftover ham on it this afternoon,” she said.
Ashley and Tamara Lourey braved the crowds in Myer to pick up a new frying pan.
“Our old one started to peal, so we needed a new one,” Ms Lourey said.
Stores such as Harvey Norman, Joyce Mayne, Big W, Springs Garden World, Anaconda, Freedom Furniture and Spotlight also held sales.
Boxing Day was predicted be the biggest single spending day of a Christmas season that already has retailers raking in a record-breaking $50 billion in sales since mid-November, the National Retail Association said.
Australian shoppers were set to splurge a record $2.49 billion nationally and $420 million in Queensland, chief executive Dominique Lamb told reporters.
“Foot traffic is up around the state and at major centres they’re certainly at peak levels, nationally we know 10 million Australians will be shopping today,” she said.
“Around the country, anywhere that is having sales, there have been lines out the door from very early this morning, we (even) had people camping out.”