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

[Iamthewombat]

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?

[BacktoMA]

@Iamthewombat I have 2 boys so I pass clothes down from the eldest to the youngest, primark and supermarket clothes rarely make it to my youngest, Next basics: jeans, long sleeve t shirts, that kind of thing, don't shrink and don't fade, nearly always passes down (my youngest's coat has been used for about 4 winters now and still looks new!)

So thanks for your patronising post, but seeing as I was born in the late 1980s, no I'm very much basing it on their quality now, not 20 years ago.

[neverornow]

It's total FOMO

I popped in to the Next summer sale last year as I happened to be in town early for an appointment and I have to say - it was good value! However some of the women were like vultures, and it was kind of contagious. I got totally caught up in the madness and started panicking and racing around the place like a lunatic! I did get some good bargains but none good enough for me to get up at 4am Boxing Day

[ItFigures]

Personally I couldn’t think of anything worse than standing in line for hours on end but then I’n fortunate because I don’t need to. I expect many do this as they cannot afford the clothing full price but want to dress their dc in good quality clothing. Perhaps they want their dc to be wearing the same clothing as the rest of their friends. Others may just love a bargain.

I’d prefer if they didn’t open on Boxing Day to give the staff a break but can’t imagine that’ll ever happen.

[RingtheBells]

Next has always been very similar to M&S, In both shops the childrenswear is better than the womenswear and the home stuff is a fairly similar quality. They both get bashed on MN. I can’t recall that Next was much different in the 80s and you can still buy the wool jumpers there now, it’s called the signature range.

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

Sorry Wombat but you are wrong about Primark and Next being similar quality. You can’t even buy decent kids basic cotton T-shirts in Primark; it’s all polyester rubbish and only lasts a few wears.

I sometimes get a VIP slot at Next because I spend a bit there: school uniform, basics etc. In the sale I’ve Speedo swimsuits for £7, half price Nike sportswear and my girls have had some massive bargains with Lipsy stuff.

[StatisticallyChallenged]

Didn't go in store but like pp i often get a vip slot online where I get some very good deals on brands for me - French connection, mint velvet, pure collection cashmere, finery etc - and clothes for the baby. I'm not a lover of their ladies wear although I got a nice own brand cashmere jumper, but their baby clothes wear and wash far better than primark.

[TurquoiseDress]

The early morning sale queue for leftover Next crap is unfathomable

Indeed

[ilovepixie]

I queued up once from 6am to buy a dishwasher for my mum. They were £105 and only 3 available.

[PyongyangKipperbang]

@ilovepixie well?! Did you get one?!

[Ithinkitcouldbeme]

Me and my mum have been to the Next one a couple of times yearrrrsss ago, because we’re both very early risers anyway and it was something to do while we waited for everyone else to get up on Boxing Day morning. Never managed to find much but got a couple of bargains. I wouldn’t bother now though - the older I get the less I can handle the crowds. And Next has really gone down hill (although the quality never really was much of anything to begin with, to be fair)

[munzero]

@Randomness12

"The next sale is not new. If as a member of staff you are so against working on boxing day and or Christmas Eve and it is demanded then why choose to work at Next? It’s the only shop that does the 6am sale."

Actually when I started working for next I was 21 and had never set foot in there before. It was my first retail job and I never knew it was known for its boxing day sales. I always assumed next was for older people (my mind was very topshop and urban outfitters addicted back then) and so I didn't think of it at all.

[ilovepixie]

Yes I got one!

[riceuten]

Never done it, never will. I am completely mystified as to why people do

[dimsum123]

I totally agree re Next quality. I used to shop there in the late 80s early 90s. Was really good quality, 100pc cotton, wool, linen, silk, contemporary styles, at reasonable prices.

But haven't shopped there for years, everything is polyester, synthetic and overpriced for the quality.

And agree with the sales, they have cheap tat specially brought in for the sales, their usual stuff is put away apart from large small sizes leftover, and even though it's on 'sale' their profit margin is as high on their normal stock as it's so cheaply made.

You are not getting a bargain and imo are being completely ripped off. But then that goes for every shop everywhere, sale or no sale.

I loathe shopping and wear my clothes until they are completely worn out as the experience of shopping makes my heart sink and fills me with dread.

[JustDanceAddict]

I did with Next a couple of times (not Boxing Day though) when DCs were young as I was up anyway and they usually had good bargains for kids. Think they had better quality clothes then.
Wouldn’t do it now though!

[Dragonfly97]

I wish people wouldnt do this ( shop on Boxing Day, I mean). Speaking as someone who worked in retail for years, is it so difficult to stay out of the shops for 2 days so the staff can have a decent break? Yes, the shops are open on Boxing Day, but if people voted with their feet and stayed at home they wouldnt be- they are responding to customer demand. I heard Matalan were starting their sale at 4.00am on Boxing Day; meaning the staff would need to be there at least 3.30am, what sort of Christmas do they get?!!

[RingtheBells]

I pretty much only wear clothes from Seasalt, a bit of Fat Face and White stuff, though the latter are not as good nowadays, to get these at a reasonable price I buy them in the Next sale at cost of about £20-£40 a garment, Next clothes are only about this at full price so obviously the same quality is not going to be there as they are cheaper clothes to start with

[PullingMySocksUp]

SIL does this. She can’t afford it at non sale price but is embarrassed to buy ‘cheap’ clothes from Primark etc.

[Pop2017]

Nope never have. I do love a bargain but there’s no way I’m going to next at 6am. I’m always up at that time but I couldn’t deal with the queues and the people desperate for a bargain.

I’m a nightmare for buying something because it’s a ‘bargain’ but realistically I don’t need half of the ‘bargains’ I buy. I’m also a nightmare of buying two of something if it’s really cheap (mainly food products, socks, pyjamas etc etc) which doesn’t save me money either

[RingtheBells]

Most people with a Next account can shop online before Christmas on the VIP sale slot, mine was all delivered on Christmas Eve and the 27th, no queueing necessary.

[SmudgeButt]

not everyone celebrates on the 25th. Even if you are Church of England you might not be getting together until early January if the rest of your friends and family have been sunning themselves somewhere.

And don't forget that we now have a large population of eastern Europeans here - if someone is Eastern Orthodox Catholic their Christmas day is effectively 6th January.

[Shallistayorshalligo]

I used to do this.. 5 am queue in Next🤣. Religiously. Summer and winter sale. Even my friend from Holland used to fly here to join me in that queue. It was fun for us, our children were small and we did it for them. We always were leaving the store with about 4 massive bags, spending at least £500.

Over the years we have found that the queue was of the same people, familiar faces were coming here every sale. We have figured out the best time of our arrival, so we were one of the first to go in.

Now the kids has grown up and We don't shop for them in Next. I don't miss getting up at 4.30, but I miss these fun times of getting huge amount of pretty children's clothes, then sitting in the floor in our living room and sorting them out: which ones to keep, which ones to return. The kids clothes were sorted for many month ahead😁

Now I am older and not energetic any more to get up at 4.30 for the sake of sale. Plus, I am not fan of Next. I go on to my favorite Free People app, fill up my shopping basket (when half price sale on the top of half price!!) and patiently wait for it to be delivered 🤪

[Vivianebrookskoviak]

I don't get it either. Their clothes in my opinion are frumpy(at least the women's wear) and yes lots of it is stuff just brought out for the sales. I could understand it if it was designer clothes or electrical items hugely discounted but next?
I've known of people to queue outside from 8:30pm on Christmas Day.
I'll never understand it. I think it's just so massively overhyped that people do it.
As to Lush, by the time it gets to Christmas the following year the smell will have gone,if one of their soaps I used to buy years ago was anything to go by. By the time it was used up the smell had gone ages ago. I wouldn't buy in there anymore now though as their prices have gone up quite a lot since then and definitely not after the whole 'Cruelty Free Kisses' and 'Spycops' campaigns.
I don't understand these people who bulk buy the lot of things up,there's no way you need all of them. Leave some for other people. Pure greed.
Oh and Lipsy who are owned by next used to let you try things on in the sales but now they don't,like next don't. I asked about a pair of jeans for the leg length and the lady couldn't tell me,absolutely no idea. Then wouldn't let me even try them on. The only other store that used to do this was BHS and they only did that on their post Christmas sales. I've no idea why next are still doing this when they're the only ones left with this policy although I might be wrong as I think Matalan do it too?
That's another one. Matalan were opening stores at 4am Boxing Day I read.
I understand less why people would queue for Matalan than next.
According to trading standards, you aren't entitled for your money back if things don't fit (although most stores don't enforce this,dunno about next)so I wouldn't buy from Lipsy(anymore) or next(not that I ever would)anyway.

[Bluepeace]

@Vivianebrookskoviak for the last 2 years I've used my Lush sale stuff up until October and it's been perfectly fine. I don't give a shit if someone thinks I'm greedy, they're welcome to queue too

I agree prices have gone up loads, and sadly no butter bears this year which is what I used to buy in bulk as it was a god send when I was on roaccutane so had continued to use. Think they cottoned on though as butter balls were essentially the same thing and they don't need to discount them.

[FelicisNox]

I love sale shopping but I wouldn't get up at 5am on Boxing Day.

I bought lots of items last year at half price or less and gifted them this year because I'm on a very strict budget and I'm glad I did as my budget this year was even stricter than usual.

Why you think these things don't keep until the following year is beyond me and that includes Lush. If stored in a cool dry place just about anything keeps.

As for comparing NEXT to Primark.... really? Primark is nowhere near the quality of NEXT, they are not remotely comparable. I know I can walk into NEXT and pick anything up in my size and know it will fit properly and be good for years the same cannot be said of Primark. Primark is for disposable wardrobes only. Their clothes are not meant to be kept for years, that's why they are so cheaply made, as fashions change.

Do I stand in queues at 6am? No. I did it once to see what the fuss was about and to see if I could get a decent bargain and it was hideous. Never again. It's just a bunch of people caught up in a frenzy of buying, almost like being at an auction.

To answer your question: 6am sale shopping is about greed not need.