Boxing Day Sales

As aways went to the sales in Sheffield with my mum on boxing day back in the 70's. It was great, all the department stores had good sales. It's not like that now.

Years ago, my daughter and I used to go to the Boxing Day sales in Glasgow, followed by lunch. I found some great bargains, especially clothes for work.
Nowadays, I have no inclination I have too many clothes anyway.

Well GN's I only went to a Boxing Day sale once, but there is a special tale with a happy ending to it. So , I had been having such poor sleeping patterns, some was physical , had just had this major problem with my back, and there were a lot of other major things that I was thinking and worrying about, that only I could resolve, and could have a big effect on my life. I was a widow and my son was about 4. I had know this man for some time and we had become very close, but I was very aware that I was totally responsible for my son and his happiness. That he was the top priority for me, way before anything I wanted for myself. He had asked me to marry him, and if it was only me involved I would have said yes. So, it may sound a bit odd, but I said, My son and I would live with him , but not marry. If my son was happy and comfortable with him then we could consider marrying later. He understood my protective feelings for my son, and said that he would wait until I was comfortable and give it time before he asked me again. So we had gone to live him on the outskirts of Manchester. I was doing another degree, I can touchtype, but then I hadnt got a typewriter, so was writing assignments out by hand , and having a lot of pain with my wrists .
I saw in the papers about these boxing day sales in the middle of Manchester . Of course this was all for publicity and this department store had a list of what they were offering, starting with a lovely engagement ring, etc etc, and there were 3 typewriters for , cant remember, but so if they were £100 they were offered at £20. So given the circumstances I said Right, as I am not sleeping I will give it a go. It was snowy and very very cold, so I put my sailing jumper, trousers, a fleece, thick woollen sox and my walking boots and my thick coat with gloves , and a rucksac with a drink in it.. There had been the list of all the things that were offered, and the way it worked was that everyone queued for hours of course. Then at 8am , the manager or whoever came out, started at the front of a queue, with tickets , labelled with whatever the item was. So the front young man was in the paper the following day as he had queued for 48 hours to get the engagement ring for his girlfriend. As the man walked along the line, like Father Christmas, each person said what he wanted and was given the ticket. It was a very fair system. If you had the ticket you had half an hour to go and claim the item. After that it was available for anyone to buy it. So that stopped horrible people dashing past you when you had waited all night etc. So I wasnt very far down the line and he got to me and I said could I please have one of typewriters. He looked down at his list and said "sorry they have all gone" and looked at me to ask for something else. I felt somewhat stunned and miserable and cast about to think what else there was and suddenly remember that there were two suits, made by Cache D'Or, who were quite a posh company and so said I would like the turquoise suit, which was in my size. He gave me the ticket and went on down the line. I stood there , mostly miserable, thinking of all the effort I had done to get the typewriter, and now I had done it all for nothing. I walked along the line to find the people who had bought the typewriters but no one wanted to swap or let me buy it from them. So 9am the doors opened and in we went. My suit was not in the ordinary clothes area but in the rather superior floor, with ladies dressed in black etc. I walked up to the nearest assistant. She looked me up and down and asked if I had come to the correct department!! I said "Oh yes, I would like to see the Cache D'or turquoise woollen suit please. Giving me rather an incredulous look, she went off to get it and brought it to me in a changing room. So I removed my coat etc and took my walking boots off , and I dont think she was used to seeing people wearing sailing thermals under the trousers. She went outside and I tried it on. It fitted beautifully and suited me - I have or had at that time copper coloured hair etc. So I got back into my things and went out and said yes I will take it , paid and walked off. (I'm sure she had a tale to tell at coffee break of the oddest woman she had had in the department. If she hadnt been so snooty I would have explained why I was dressed as I was.) So home I went, in a mixed feeling. The amount of effort I had made was not rewarded by the useful thing that I really needed. The suit was lovely but I had nothing in mind to wear it to, and wouldnt have gone to all that trouble for the suit. So I put it away and life went on. A little while later , my lovely man asked me to marry him again and this time I said yes. I had never worn my bargain, and so I actually got married in the suit, with navy shoes and a little navy velvet fascinator with a feather in it. It was lovely and we had a wonderful day, in an old fashioned way, as my parents came, and we lived round the corner from the methodist church, (where I used to sing and read the lesson and my lovely man used to work with the teenagers group,) so I walked round with my father , and the neighbours came out to wave and wish us health and happiness. All my family sing and I have been a member of quite a lot of choirs, so the singing was wonderful with 4 part harmonies , etc. A very happy day, and I never regretted for one minute marrying my husband. He was a wonderful father to my son, and we had over 40 happy years together. I kept my suit for a very long time and wore it for special days out etc, but then I actually gave it to someone in a womans refuge , who was going for a job interview, and I hope she has enjoyed wearing it since then. So , that is my tale of venturing into the boxing day sales. Have never gone to one again. Think I was so lucky on that occasion, but would never want to do it again (anyway with my back the chances now of standing for hours is non-existent.) Such serendipity , where I had no thoughts or ideas that any of this could lead on from wanting a typewriter. So I know this has taken a while to write about it but it all belongs together , and is for me a very romatic memory.

This message looked so long I wasn't going to read it but am very glad I did. A really lovely story with a lovely ending, thank you for sharing.

When I was younger shops weren’t open on Boxing Day thank God. I had all my family together on Boxing Day, it doesn’t happen often as daughter lives in East Midlands and is a paramedic. Why anyone would want to traipse around the shops is beyond me. There the January sales when young and mum took us up to Oxford Street, C & A to get winter coats, which back then sales goods where good quality not the tat there is today

Perhaps because different people enjoy different things?

It's been a tradition for myself and my daughter to go to the sales on the 27th. Now my GD is older she has joined us.

Mostly it's been a good experience, this year included. Nowhere was uncomfortably rammed, we mooched at leisure, topped off by a free hot drink and cake each, curtesy of JL.

Just the three of us being together was joyful.

Madeleine45 what a beautiful story, especially as at the end your suit enabled someone else to move forward in life. I very much enjoyed reading your tale, with its happy ending for you and your son. Your story actually brought me to tears. Thank you for sharing.

It used to make the news, when I was little.

Queues of rampaging shoppers, who'd been waiting sometimes all night!

MissAdventure

It used to make the news, when I was little.

Queues of rampaging shoppers, who'd been waiting sometimes all night!

I remember this … we used to want and queue up at night but weren’t allowed for safety reasons… but when we did go on the bus into Birmingham city centre it was to Rackhams to the numerous beauty counters …the whole of the ground floor was a perfumed paradise -lovely memory 💕

Did you bag some real bargains?

Can’t remember if we did but the Perfume scent wafting around was memorable

Oh yes, how glorious.
I love perfume. (Well, most of them)

I love it if someone wafts past in a cloud of girly scent.

For Ferry, Boxing Day Sales are fairly recent, as you say, when Major amended trading laws. BUT -- there have been New Year sales for many decades, lots of B&W film showing big crowds bursting in as soon as the doors open, desperate for the bargains (that many had queued up for, some even camping out!).

MissAdventure

Oh yes, how glorious.
I love perfume. (Well, most of them)

I love it if someone wafts past in a cloud of girly scent.

Yes often I’d like to ask ..what are you wearing … meaning scent wise😀

I’ve just sprayed a Jo Malone …to perk me up ..only staying in🤣

I do ask if someone's wearing a particularly nice scent. I used to be able to guess, pretty reliably, but not nowadays.

Not Boxing Day, but I have just picked up a couple of bargains today, New Year’s Eve.

Am being taken to DUNELM tomorrow.. very excited as like to find new bed linen and pillows for the new year..
After confirming they are open, found a press release dated 20 DEC 24, that they have been granted a Royal Warrant for their Dorma brand .. must check this out .. wonder if they’re in the sale.😁

I've just got back from two days of full on sales shopping. My best purchase was an L E D light up fish tank, 50% off reduced to £25. Its for DGS's birthday next week, hopefully it will gently send him off to sleep in his room! 🐟 🐠 🐡
Molton Brown bargains, clothes and a Radley handbag.
Not too busy in the shops, but the restaurants were trying to hurry everyone to turn over more covers.
Feet up time now.

Two days?!

I had to read that twice to make sure I had read that correctly.

I did manage a quick dash into a shop that had something I had my eye on before Christmas, and thought I would wait and see if it was reduced.

It was! 50% Off! So I bought.
And bought some quality crackers [hopefully] as those we had this year[leftovers from previous years] were all rubbish.

😆
It does sound a bit bonkers, I agree fancythat!
2 days meeting up with different people, and eating out, while bagging bargains, I don't find back home, along the way!

Sounds nice though.

Out of interest, do you just see what you can find/pick up?

Or do you have a planned list of what you want, ready?

Good question.
I target the big stores, having done a bit of research first. I have a list. It's dangerous if I wander aimlessly just looking.
The impromptu purchases always happen for me in the kitchen departments. I tell myself you can never have too many ......
Oh yes, and bedding too.

I wonder how other GNs proceed?

In their minds, I mean!
We all think differently on GN.

I’m fortunate to have family to spend Boxing Day with so have never thought about going to the sales. It’s a different story after New Year as DH and DS both have birthdays in mid January. There’s a small department store about 20 minutes away with an excellent men’s section and I usually find some shirts etc at a very good price.