Record-breaking Boxing Day sales expected as millions flock to city stores

Bargain-hungry shoppers are tipped to splash the a record amount of cash at this year’s Boxing Day sales. Find out the best bargains.

TASMANIANS are set to shell out a whopping $55 million at Boxing Day sales, with the nation projected to spend the largest amount in history.

The Australian Retailers Association predicts Australians will spend $2.46 billion in 24 hours as millions of shoppers rush to snap up heavily discounted items in store and online.

Some stores will open from 5am today and spending is expected to climb by 3.27 per cent to $2.46 billion from Boxing Day last year.

In Tasmania, shoppers are predicted to spend $55,143,000 — a 4.07 per cent rise on 2017.

In NSW, shoppers will spend the most nationally forking out a massive $790 million on discounted items, followed by Victorians who will spend $786 million.

In the Sunshine State, Queenslanders will spend $409 million while in South Australia, where Boxing Day has been legislated across all parts of the state, consumers will splash $133 million.

Despite retailers running sales through the year, including on Black Friday and Cyber Monday recently, ARA executive chairman Russell Zimmerman said Boxing Day sales remained the “bumper” sales day.

“It’s got a real buzz, people come out for it,” he said. “We are expecting people to come out in their droves on Boxing Day to the stores.”

He said women’s footwear, men’s casual suit jackets and trousers would be a big seller, while homewares, sheets, towels and linen are expected to fly off the shelves.

Mr Zimmerman said shoppers would flock to bricks and mortar stores and rush to websites to order up.

He urges shoppers to get to their favourite stores as early as possible.

Myer’s retail operations director Tony Sutton said Boxing Day is their biggest trading day of the year and expects more than 2 million shoppers to stream through their 62 stores today.

“With savings of up to 70 per cent off a huge range of leading brands and products that we know our customers love it’s the best time of year to come in store and get great value and genuine savings,” he said.

Australian retail magnate Gerry Harvey encouraged shoppers to visit their stores with more sales instore and some discounts online. “There’s no bigger day than Boxing Day,” he said.

But he said there had been a relatively flat increase to sales this year, despite many shoppers still spending up.