Bargain hunting sales shoppers arrive at Scotland’s stores before dawn

Shoppers arrived at some stores from as early as 3am on Boxing Day to hunt for bargains in the post-Christmas sales.

Stores in some of Scotland's largest shopping centres opened their doors early in the hope of attracting early-bird customers.

Despite frosty weather, many outlets reported a buoyant day's trading and that the cold snap had encouraged shoppers to upgrade their winter wardrobes.

Ryan Manson, general manager of Union Square in Aberdeen, said: “Many people will use Boxing Day as an opportunity to treat themselves, with this year seeing customers spending more on investment items such as jewellery.

“Many shoppers are spending quality time with family and friends, choosing to enjoy their Boxing Day at one of our many restaurants or grabbing a bite before heading off to catch the new Star Wars film.''

More than 500 people queued from 4am awaiting the opening of the Next sale at 6am at Fort Kinnaird in Edinburgh, with the earliest arriving an hour earlier.

The shopping and leisure destination estimated about 85,000 people would go through its doors on Tuesday, with a further 90,000 on Wednesday.

Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “Although a lot of the sales started pre-Christmas, we have found many people still hold off until after the big day to spend vouchers and a bit of money on themselves.

“More items go into sale and it is still a very popular day out in the week between Christmas and returning to work in the New Year.''

Despite a tough year for retailers, in Inverness the picture seemed to be rosier around pre-Christmas and Boxing Day.

The Eastgate Shopping Centre reported a boom in sales during the festive period, with a growth in shoppers on previous years.

Jackie Cuddie, manager, said: “The centre's been very busy, with the car park filling up very early on.

“We got a lot coming out early on Boxing Day - they knew what sales they were going for.

“When we opened the doors for Next at 5.45 there was a huge queue. It has been much busier than the last few years.''

More than 65,000 shoppers descended on The Centre in Livingston to grab a bargain, with many shoppers carrying lists for items waiting to be reduced.

Stacey Love, from Bathgate, praised the sales there as “fantastic''.

The 27-year-old nurse added: “I'm absolutely delighted with the bargains I've managed to pick up.''

Glasgow's intu Braehead saw queues throughout the centre and extra staff on shift to deal with the workload.

Regional centre director Peter Beagley said: “Santa was hardly back home at the North Pole with his feet up having a Christmas mince pie when eager shoppers were queuing up at intu Braehead for the Boxing Day sales.

“There were huge queues in the centre coming from Lush, Next and River Island stores at 8am and several hours later there was still the same length of queue, as more shoppers joined the queues just as quickly as others were being served.'