Thousands brave Stockland Shellharbour sales

Tens of thousands of people flocked to Stockland Shellharbour on Boxing Day, all vying for that extra special post-Christmas deal.

Karen Smart, from Albion Park, braves the massive December 26 crowds every year – the sale signs and discounts entice her back.

‘‘Myer is here in Shellharbour, so why not?’’ Ms Smart said, successfully carrying three massive bags from the department store. 

‘‘We’ve got everything in this one shopping centre.’’ 

Ms Smart didn’t have any particular purchases in mind, but her key to shopping success was simple.

‘‘You’re not going silly spending ... it’s a matter of seeing if something catches your eye and weighing it [a purchase] up,’’ she said. 

Everywhere you looked in the centre there were people – many appeared unfazed by the controlled chaos, with some clearly on a mission.

Scoring a parking spot was the first challenge, but once inside popular items like bedding, electronics and clothing were quickly snapped up. 

Clothes and food were just some of the items in Kristy Trencevska’s trolley, which was hugged by her children Kiara, 10, Mikayla, 8, and Jake, 5. 

‘‘[We’re here] just to have a look and see what we can find, but there’s that many people I just want to get out of here,’’ Ms Trencevska, from Blackbutt, said as she spoke to the Mercury about 11am.

Keeping control of the eager shoppers kept staff on their toes, including at Peter Alexander where sleepwear of all shapes and sizes leapt off the shelves at up to 50 per cent off. 

The store opened at 7am and store manager Cressida Irving needed only one word to describe the day’s trading.

‘‘Crazy,’’ she said. 

‘‘It’s busier than last year; we had a line going out the door, so we had to pull it around the table [inside the store].’’

For Hairhouse Warehouse owner Lube Markovski, the Christmas shopping period has turned around after a slower than usual start.

‘‘When people started to spend, they really opened their wallets,’’ Mr Markovski said.

The large number of people waiting outside Mr Markovski’s Shellharbour store forced the doors to open 30 minutes before the scheduled 9am opening.

‘‘It’s just been constant ever since,’’ he said.

‘‘We’ve sold some really big ticket items ... there seems to be a lot of confidence at the moment.’’ 

Mr Markovski predicted the spending would continue.

‘‘I reckon we’ll have a really strong January as well, you can just sense it.’’