Cork bargain-hunters swoop on city stores in search of post-Christmas deal
Cork Dan St Linehan Thomas In Outside Sale Stephen's The Shoppers Day Pictures: Queue For Brown
Bargain-hunters swopped sitting rooms for shops as the annual post-Christmas splurge got under way on St Stephen’s Day.
There were queues outside Brown Thomas on Cork’s St Patrick’s Street before the store opened its doors at 10am, with dreary skies failing to put a dampener on the enthusiasm of consumers.
Delighted punters smiled as they held up their bags, even if their choice of shop was limited by the decision of some stores not to open their doors until Friday.
The sales come on top of a busy run-up to Christmas for retailers across the country and follows the big sales events of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
According to research by Retail Ireland, the average Irish household has spent €1,555 on retail this December — up 1% on last December.
It is expected the final tally for spending by all consumers in December will be just under €9bn, which is €3bn more than the monthly spend in other parts of the year, according to the retail body.
Retail Ireland believes consumers are now feeling a little less burdened by the cost of living, with hopes this will continue into 2025.
The December Credit Union Consumer Sentiment Index also showed people were feeling a bit more optimistic about their finances at year’s end.
According to the report, there is a “significant improvement” in consumer confidence in Ireland since December 2023.