Boxing Day 2018 Gold Coast: Big lines at major shopping centre.

Huge crowds of bargain-hunters packed the Gold Coast’s major shopping centres today as Boxing Day sales proved a major hit

FRANTIC shoppers splashed some serious cash on the Gold Coast as Boxing Day sales got underway, with all of the city’s major shopping centres attracting big crowds throughout the day.

More than $2.5 billion was expected to have gone through the tills today on Australia’s biggest shopping day.

Eager customers began lining up at stores at Pacific Fair at 6am with Kookai, Harrolds, JD Sports and Big W among the retailers attracting large queues well before opening time.

Shoppers at the Boxing Day sales at Pacific Fair in Broadbeach. Picture: Tertius Pickard.

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Shoppers flooded through the doors of Kookai as it opened, loading up with armfuls up bargains at up to 50 per cent off.

Sisters Maddi Cronan, 21, and Keely Cronan, 16 were first in line at 7.30am.

The Brisbane pair spent Christmas on the Gold Coast and said attending the Boxing Day sales was a tradition.

Maddi Cronan and Keely Cronan get first pick at Kookai after being first in line at opening time. Picture: Tertius Pickard.

“We woke up at 5am today, we love Kookai, and in the sales it’s just so cheap,” Keely told The Gold Coast Bulletin.

Sophie Dimitrijevski, 23, from Benowa was also quick to score some good buys at Kookai as soon as its doors opened.

“It’s my favourite store and it doesn’t go on sale often so I’ve got a quite a few basic crops, some dresses, that sort of thing,” she said.

Sophie Dimitrijevski from Benowa in Kookai at the Boxing Day sales at Pacific Fair in Broadbeach. Picture: Tertius Pickard.

Crowds waited patiently to enter stores including Lush and Pandora, which both saw steady lines out the door all morning.

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Big W management team members Kylie Butler and Elle Funnell said Boxing Day was the “craziest, busiest day” on their calendar.

“We actually opened a little bit early this morning because we had so many customers waiting to come in,” Ms Butler said.

Brand-name food containers and bedding were among the most popular items of the day in store, along with televisions and stereo systems.

It was a tiring day of shopping for some, with Darwin’s Cameron Hellet ready for a nap by 10.30am.

Cameron Hellet takes a break in the trolley with his siblings and mum. Picture: Tertius Pickard.

Mum Leander Hellet said the family had been busy jumping from store to store to take advantage of the shopping on the Gold Coast.

“The shopping is much better here, much bigger,” she said.

Senior Marketing Manager Kate Halpin said Boxing Day is Pacific Fair’s busiest trading day of the year, with foot traffic up by around 200 per cent as shoppers scramble to bag a bargain.

Shoppers make the most of Boxing Day sales at JB HiFi. Picture: Tertius Pickard.

“You find the fanatics here after a specific product early in the morning, they’re after something in particular, as the day goes on it’s just shopping for sales, people who have had gift cards for Christmas or are returning things and swapping it over,” she said.

It was a similar story at Robina Town Centre where shops were busy all day.

Centre Marketing Manager Ashlee Hume said there were big discounts across most stores.

“A wide selection of our retailers are offering major discounts and deals, not just today but also over the coming days, it’s the perfect opportunity for shoppers to snap up a bargain,” she said.

Massive crowds at Harbour Town Shopping Centre for Boxing Day sales. Photo: Facebook

Massive numbers also arrived at Harbour Town Shopping Centre, where visitors desperate for a parking space resorted to parking on nature strips to find a spot.

JB Hi-Fi has proven a big drawcard among shoppers at the Biggera Waters outlet centre, with “big ticket” items available for heavily reduced prices.

Carparks were also packed at Pacific Fair in Broadbeach. Picture: Tertius Pickard.

Meanwhile for those looking to refund an unwanted gift the state’s Acting Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Stirling Hinchliffe warned shoppers they weren’t covered for change of mind by law and would have to rely on individual store policies.