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?
AIBU?
Are you one of those people who queues for sales at 6 am? Confess, and tell me why.
Iamthewombat · 28/12/2019 00:37
Am I being unreasonable?
683 votes. Final results.
POLLI think a lot of people's issues with those who get up at 5am for the sale is the way a lot of these people behave, to be honest. No one would be half as 
if people queued in an orderly fashion, went around the shop in a calm fashion, went through clothes gently and calmly, not making a mess, and were polite to those working.
What you tend to actually get is half the crowd doing the above, with the other half acting like feral cats. They're the reason people pity those who have to work the sale. Plenty of people start work in retail early (petrol stations, 24h supermarkets etc), but the difference is, typically, those coming in at 6, 7 and 8am in the morning are just grabbing a coffee and a newspaper. Ie acting like adults. It might be busy, but it's usually relatively calm and the shop doesn't look like a bomb has gone off within 4 minutes of opening. People aren't chucking shit on the floor and trampling it into the ground to try find a 4-5yr old top. They're typically not bunking queues, ramming people with prams or starting a fight over a handbag.
I do like a good sale, but I think there's a huge difference between buying items you'd genuinely have bought for full price/close to it anyway, and just buying stuff because it's cheap. Careful sales shopping means you'll have a wardrobe you'll get plenty of use out of for years to come. Idiotic sales shopping means you'll have tonnes of clothes, half you won't even take the tags off, and the other half you aren't fussed on, so you'll go sale shopping again, and again, and again, to replace. Pointless.
I worked for Next as a student, so weekends, and holiday periods, albeit a long time ago in the 1980's. Back then, they were awful employers. The sales were interesting too-they used to bring in unsold stock from up to 7yrs ago
We also had to purchase our 'uniform' (got 30% off it) which was head to toe in the current season clothes. Which would have been good if we'd been allowed to choose which clothes!
The sales were always carnage and clothes thrown on the floor/stepped on/made dirty in ways I won't describe were just put straight back on the racks! Hard, horrible work.
I left after a year to work for the Body Shop-now that was so much fun-loved it! 
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