Tayside and Fife’s retailers enjoyed a mixed start to the traditional post-Christmas sales as shoppers weighed up the choice between grabbing festive bargains and staying warm and dry at home.
Dundee’s shopping rush has been shaped by the weather, with stores lurching from feast to famine and back in just 24 hours.
Shoppers hit the Boxing Day sales early and many retailers were ready to report bumper takings until heavy afternoon rain intervened.
While the hardiest bargain hunters remained, the “appalling” weather forced many to call it a day and subsequent sales suffered as a result.
Yesterday’s bright sunshine brought the shoppers back, however, and there was again an early rush with stores reporting excellent trading.
“At one point on Saturday the indications were very good and we were looking at bumper sales,” said the Wellgate Centre’s marketing and commercial manager, Marion Crerar.
“Unfortunately the appalling weather later in the day sent many of those shoppers rushing home and deterred many people from venturing out at all.
“I was keeping a close eye on the Murraygate throughout the day and it was very quiet in the afternoon, though there were a few hardy souls who knew what they wanted and were clearly on a mission to secure some bargains.”
Marion said the fine weather yesterday had brought shoppers out early and in large numbers once again.
“Our car park was packed from first thing in the morning and the shops busy right away,” she said.
Torrential rain was no deterrent to Boxing Day shoppers in Kirkcaldy.
Central Fife Retail Park off the A92 was buzzing with bargain hunters, and parking spaces were scarce after businesses opened their doors.
It was the same story in Dunfermline town centre.
A source at the Kingsgate Shopping Centre said: “It was really busy. Just a normal Boxing Day.”
There was little in the way of shopper hysteria in Perth, with the shops remaining reasonably quiet.
While most of the chain stores opened their doors on Saturday, many independent retailers chose to take a long weekend and will reopen this morning for the expected rush of shoppers.