Qlders spend $2.6bn during Black Friday sales in 2024

Queenslanders’ Black Friday sales bill is surging to new highs in 2024, with some shoppers going to extraordinary lengths to nab a bargain.

Queenslanders are expected to have spent a massive $2.63bn on the Black Friday sales this year, with some even taking a sick day to snatch up a bargain.

Officially kicking off on the last day of November, shoppers rushed to shopping centres across the Sunshine State on Friday, with the sale tipped to rival the annual Boxing Day blitz.

The frenzy is expected to continue across the weekend, with a Westfield spokesperson saying they were gearing up for hundreds of thousands of customers to walk through their doors.

“Customers can find everything they need under one roof and we’ve pulled out all the stops to make the Black Friday sales period as easy as possible with extended trading hours, a fantastic line-up of festive entertainment, giveaways and more,” the spokesperson said.

Australian Retail Association chief industry affairs officer Fleur Brown said nationally a record $6.7bn was expected to be spent during the four-day event, a 5.5 per cent increase to last year.

“Shoppers are being savvier than ever with their dollars this festive period, which is why they are flocking to sales events like the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend to stock up on gifts and personal items,” Ms Brown said.

“We know that around 4 in 10 Black Friday shoppers will be participating expressly to help them save money on their Christmas gift shopping this year.”

Research conducted by analytics company Pure Profile, on behalf of the Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, found more than half (52 per cent) of Queenslanders had planned to spend all or part of their workday on Friday shopping for seasonal bargains, while a fifth (18 per cent) said it would be their first time taking part and that cost-of-living pressures were making them look for better deals.

The retail research, conducted in October, also found shoppers were prepared to go the extra mile to get a sale, with 10 per cent taking annual leave or sick days to focus solely on scooping up a steal.

Indooroopilly Shopping Centre general manager Steven Ihm said the annual event was well timed in the lead-up to the festive period which was “known to place added pressure on households, particularly in this inflationary climate”.

Sophie Crema and Amelia McCormick were just two of the thrifty shoppers out and about on Friday. They said they had been waiting months for the Black Friday sales to kick off.

Black Friday shopping at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre. Picture: Patrick Woods.

■ Meet the reclusive billionaire who owns your favourite SEQ shopping centres

“I am super excited for the sales and I feel like I’ve been waiting a really long time to buy a few pieces and I’m happy that they are finally on sale,” Ms Crema said.

A tighter budget due to the cost-of-living crunch meant she was very keen to score bargains this festive season.

“I’ve been keeping an eye out for a while and just waiting for November to hit for all the sales,” Ms Crema said.

“I think a lot of people are in the same boat and it’s lovely seeing everyone come together today.”

Originally published as Qlders spend $2.6bn during Black Friday sales in 2024