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AIBU?

Are you one of those people who queues for sales at 6 am? Confess, and tell me why.

260 replies

Iamthewombat · 28/12/2019 00:37

I’ve seen a number of threads on the subject of ‘all shops should close on Boxing Day, blah blah’ but what I want to know is this:

If you are one of those people waiting outside shops on Boxing Day at 6 am (or earlier), why do you do it? The bargains can’t be that good.

We visited friends in Liverpool today and they showed me photos in the local paper of people queuing outside Next at 5.30 am, outside Lush at 6 am etc.

Why????

The paper had interviewed some of the queuers (is that a word?). Their reasons were as follows:

Woman outside Lush: “the gift sets are 50% off so I can get £400 worth for £200!”

Sorry love, they aren’t going to last until Christmas 2020. When I assume you will attempt to re-gift them.

Women outside Next: “It’s a tradition for us and we come every year but we are trying to buy less because we are worried about the environment” (!!!!! I wonder if Next sell self-awareness?)

Genuinely, why do you do it? Is it because you are trying to recreate the Blitz spirit? Is it so that you have something to talk about?

I’d kind of understand if it’s a young person who is label-conscious and wants to snag a particular designer brand from Flannels or Harvey Nics and can only afford it in the sale but Next and bloody Lush? Come on! Neither are a motherlode of sought after quality items at drastically reduced prices, are they?

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midnightmisssuki · 28/12/2019 00:40

Maybe discounted stuff is all they can afford? Maybe they are buying for brithdays, Christmas for next year? Many reasons - why do you care so much??

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mistermagpie · 28/12/2019 00:41

I've often wondered about this too. I mean, it's Next, just... Next. Next is fine and all that, their children's clothes are a staple in this house, but queuing up in the middle of the night to buy their boring offerings is something that boggles my mind.

Lush even less so...

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HarrietThePi · 28/12/2019 00:42

An old school friend of mine and her mother used to get up at about 5am on boxing Day to queue outside of Next. Honestly I think they were just eccentric. I don't think there was much else to it. I mean, there's nothing wrong with Next, but it's not cutting edge fashion or anything...certainly not worth standing outside for an hour in the freezing cold for.

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Iamthewombat · 28/12/2019 00:43

Maybe discounted stuff is all they can afford? Maybe they are buying for brithdays, Christmas for next year? Many reasons - why do you care so much??

If you want cheap clothes, you can buy them online or at Primark, where the full priced clothes probably cost the same as the Next gear for similar quality.

Are you saying that every single person in the queue is poor?

As for why I’m interested: I just am. Is that ok with you?

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BusyBB · 28/12/2019 00:45

I went shopping on boxing day to cheer self up after rubbish Christmas... didn't get to town until 1 though. The shelves in lush were pretty bare... should have been there at 6!

Only joking. standing outside queuing for 4or more hours better be worth a bargain with significantly more value than my hourly wage!

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earsup · 28/12/2019 00:51

I don't understand either... unless it's something really special with a huge discount....and also don't see any appeal with Next...they buy in racks of cheap poor quality tat just for the sale from clearance warehouses...the nice items are never discounted !!

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nancy75 · 28/12/2019 00:56

If it was something really really expensive reduced to peanuts I might be tempted (I probably wouldn’t be - I’m quite lazy) but to save 15 quid in a Next jumper? I’d rather stay in bed

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LuluJakey1 · 28/12/2019 00:59

No, never. I think it is mainly stuff that is tat and ends up in landfill within a year.

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Freddiefox · 28/12/2019 01:04

I don’t understabd why they open at 6am, surely if they opened at ten they get the same if not more people there.
Next sales are a strange affair, it’s all their stuff no one wanted in the first place.

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gluteustothemaximus · 28/12/2019 01:05

I got a fabulous £45 skirt from next for £15. Am over the moon with it. No way would I ever pay £45 on a skirt and £15 is a push really. It’s for work and it’s beautiful quality.

I didn't get up at 6am, but I've got no issues with people that do. They're obviously enjoying themselves or they wouldn’t do it.

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BelgianWhistles · 28/12/2019 01:07

I work in a shop. We opened at 10 but had someone complain that we didn’t open earlier because they’d been waiting since before 8 in the cold rain

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YearofMisAdventure · 28/12/2019 01:09

Is it not just that they are the only 2 shops that open at 6? It's been tradition since the 90s I think. The whole shop is rearranged with masses of discounts so if you get there early you can get things with 50% off. In your size.

It kind of creates that buzz of being there first and lets face it lots of people are dying for a reason to get out of the house early after xmas

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Sparklesocks · 28/12/2019 01:09

It’s not my cup of tea but if that’s how people want to spend their early mornings I guess that’s their choice. I do think it’s unfair on the staff forced to get up to start a 6am shift, I know some people are happy for the extra cash/don’t celebrate Xmas anyway but there are still a decent proportion who will need to go to bed at silly o clock on Xmas day to get up for the shift when they could be with their family.

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Wearywithteens · 28/12/2019 01:09

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn at the poster's request.

YearofMisAdventure · 28/12/2019 01:12

Also Next is seen as quite high end in lots of towns where the shops are more limited.

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TinklyLittleLaugh · 28/12/2019 01:22

I used to do the Next sale for my kids’ clothes, didn’t get up at the crack of dawn or queue though. The sale was genuine; there were discounts of up to 50% on their usual stock. I used to buy out of season stuff in the nest size up. It’s better quality than Primark by quite a bit.

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Randomness12 · 28/12/2019 01:29

I was at the next sale, I live a 5 min drive away from a huge industrial unit style one. I have a toddler who grows out of clothes a couple of times a year which is expensive. I set my alarm for 5.30, roll out of bed and am parked by 5.45. I was over 400 people back in the queue. But I got in as soon as they opened the door - everything is at least 50% off. I now have half a years worth of clothes for her for just over £100, which when I totalled it up we’re worth almost £300. I prefer the quality and durability of next clothes for her, they go in the tumble dryer (unlike primark, supermarket clothes and H&M) so for me it is 100% worth it. I was back home in bed by 6.45.

As for the poor staff - they were, and are always in my experience, happy to be there. They get “first pick” for volunteering to work it and they do shorter shifts that day on rotation so they can have time at home. I think the lady who served me said she was doing 5am-11am. I know this because I asked her after reading lots of threads on here about how awful it is to work in retail at this time of year.

If they opened at 10, I’d still go. If they opened on the 27th, I’d still go. But they don’t, they open at 6am on the 26th so that’s when I go as everything is neatly organised and it’s really efficiently run. I don’t see why other people have such a problem with it.

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Creepster · 28/12/2019 01:34

Ebay resellers do this, and people whose children want something very specific, no substitutions acceptable. Other than that I do not know who would.

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SnorkMaiden81 · 28/12/2019 01:37

Want want want! Spend spend spend! Got to have! It never ends.

It's sickening really.

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MargotMoon · 28/12/2019 01:44

I've always wondered this. Your answer makes sense @Randomness12, thanks. Although I still would rather stick pins in my eyes personally I can see why someone might be motivated to do it.

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Silvafox · 28/12/2019 02:01

SnorkMaiden81 - I agree. I'm a Postie and the sheer volume of stuff people buy sickens me; I knock at some doors every single day for 6 weeks and even yesterday, first day back at work after my amazing break of 2 days' duration, I knocked those same damned doors again with more parcels.

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Pixxie7 · 28/12/2019 02:02

It originated back when people had very little ie 1960s certain shops had a massive discount on 1 item eg sofa for £5 why they do it now god knows.

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SpoonSpoon · 28/12/2019 02:03

Opening at 6 is to create FOMO I’m sure

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PyongyangKipperbang · 28/12/2019 02:05

Someone I know had her whole Xmas day geared up for the Boxing Day Next sale.

Everything, including family visits etc, had to be done by her bed time of 9pm so she could be in the queue for 4 am. She would go in, buy everything she could grab in the right sizes and then take back the returns a couple of days later. They REALLY were not short of money, 90% of the stuff went back and her husband eventually lost his shit and said that him and the kids were not cutting their Xmas short so she could go shopping for stuff that they didnt need or want.

They have a big Xmas which she misses as she still does it. Fuck knows why.

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PyongyangKipperbang · 28/12/2019 02:07

Opening at 6 is to create FOMO I’m sure

I agree

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