It was ‘jingle tills’ at Bradford stores as shoppers came out in force to take advantage of Boxing Day sales today.
Hundreds of people were queueing outside Next, on the Forster Square retail park, at 4am, two hours before the store opened.
Customers were still queuing outside at lunchtime to snap up the bargains.
Friends Azad Hussain, 29, and Mohammed Irfan, 23, of Heaton, went on a joint shopping expedition and queued for an hour to get through the doors.
But Mr Hussain said the wait was well worth it.
He said: “We only go shopping once a year and this is it. We set out with a list of things to get and a budget and we stick to it.
“We bought work clothes for the year ahead and we are very happy with our purchases.
“We have got some seriously nice shirts. There was a lot of half price stuff and I have got two bags full of clothes for £70.”
Mamik Miah, 56, took three generations of his family to Curry’s on the retail park and spent around £800 on a Logic television and a smart television.
He said: “We saved around £600 so we are happy, though we would have liked even bigger reductions.
“We have been waiting for the sales to buy these items. It was worth coming down for.”
More than 50 people were queueing outside the electrical store when it opened and business was brisker than the previous year, with TVs and laptops especially selling well.
But Zahara Nadeen, 20, of Thornbury, Bradford, was disappointed after trying a number of stores.
“I have spent £800 or £900 on a laptop, vacuum cleaner and clothes, but only the clothes were in a sale. It’s a bitp of a scam really.
“We came to town thinking there would be a lot of offers but a lot of stuff has been at the normal prices. It’s the first time I’ve been to the Boxing Day sales and it will be the last.”
Bill McCormack, operations manager for the Kirkgate Centre, said business had strongly picked up on the two days before Christmas and people had been queueing to get into the centre on Boxing Day.
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