Thousands of shoppers in Cork and Dublin braved Artic-like conditions early this morning in in search of savings as some retailers broke a decades-long tradition and opened their doors on St Stephen’s Day.
Dublin was at the centre of the bargain hunting action today with Arnotts, Clery’s and Brown Thomas starting their January sales 24 hours early.
All three retailers reported a brisk trade and while many of the adjacent streets had a ghost-town like feel to them, this afternoon Grafton St and Henry St were thronged with people.
The Brown Thomas outlet in Cork also opened this morning as did a number of retailers based in the Dundrum Town Centre.
Dozens of people left the comfort of their homes on Christmas night to stand – or at least sit – in line in sub zero temperatures for as long as 22 hours in order to snag some of the better deals on offer.
Dublin Chamber of Commerce said it was expecting a strong turn-out amongst shoppers this sales season and confidently predicted that, in spite of the economic gloom, this year’s returns would top last year's bottom line.