Retail bosses have praised Aberdeen’s shops for creating a real “bargain buzz” in time for the traditional Boxing Day sales.
Thousands of people hit the high streets and shopping centres across the country today on the hunt for good deals and hefty discounts.
Some retailers slashed their prices by hundreds of pounds as they worked to shift old stock to make room for new product lines on the shelves.
And crowds could be seen queuing out of the door at a number of establishments, waiting their turn to delve through the sale rails for coveted items.
Craig Stevenson, general manager of Bon Accord shopping centre, suggested that those hitting the high streets would have been more successful than in previous years.
“Without a doubt, retail has been challenging this year,” he said.
“And one of the consequences has been the number of offers available before Christmas.
“So I think there are probably more bargains to be had in the stores this year than previously.”
He also praised the centre’s hard-working staff who pulled out all the stops to get it ready for the influx of Boxing Day bargain-hunters.
Mr Stevenson said: “We have been very busy and from very early on.
“Next opened at 6am, so we opened the mall from 5am and there was a queue outside from then.
“We had a really busy spell right at the start of the day where people were coming out for bargains, and our car park was consistently full from about 11am.
“There’s been a real bargain buzz and it’s always nice to see the centre as busy as this.”
Last night a spokeswoman for Union Square said: “It has been busy throughout December and that trend continued on Boxing Day. There are some great offers available at the centre.
“We had big queues at Pandora and River Island from first thing this morning and it was a busy day as we saw people combining their sale shopping with a meal at one of our restaurants or a visit to the cinema.”
Dustin Macdonald, chairman of the City Centre Community Council, said: “It is great to see people shopping in the city centre. Everything should be done to encourage the use of traditional brick and mortar city centres.”