On the day before Christmas Eve, retailers are preparing for another busy day as hordes more panic shoppers descend on stores to complete their Christmas shopping.
A report from VoucherCodes.co.uk and the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) predicts that 10.3 million shoppers will brave the cold and the crowds today to put the last touches to Christmas festivities – even more than ‘Panic Saturday’ (10.1 m), and ‘Stampede Sunday’ (9.2m).
With under 48 hours until the big day, stores are expected to benefit from a £1.29bn cash injection as consumers opt to head in-store rather than online to ensure they have their goods in their hands on the 25th. Supermarkets are likely to see the lion’s share of this Christmas cash, with today looking to be the day many people choose to pick up fresh ingredients for Christmas dinner, as well as stocking up on extra booze and confectionary.
Jimmy New, Director of Marketing at VoucherCodes.co.uk comments: “With Christmas Eve falling on a Tuesday this year, it’s no surprise that many of us are making use of today to put the finishing touches to our Christmas shopping , allowing us to take a well-deserved break around Christmas.
“As it’s likely to be particularly busy in stores today, it’s worth avoiding the peak trading hours if possible – particularly if you only have a few small things left to grab. When it gets this close to Christmas, many of us often panic buy unnecessarily so, before you head out, take the time to really consider if you need what you’re purchasing. Any savings, large or small that you make in this week can make a big difference when it comes to the end of a long January.”
