I worked in retail for 5 years – never trust the sale price

While most people are enjoying the leftovers of Christmas on Boxing Day, retail staff have often been awake since dawn, racing through last-minute markdowns, panic-printing shelf labels, wrestling with sale signage, and praying the card machines behave.

For five years, I spent my Boxing Days working in retail and well-known high street shops such as Oliver Bonas, Hobbs and New Look during university. And after years of watching the Boxing Day sales unfold, I’ve learned the exact tricks that actually help you find the best deals without getting lost in the chaos. Here are nine insider Boxing Day shopping secrets, straight from someone who’s worked the front line.

1. Don’t trust the sale stickers 

When it comes to sales – and Boxing Day in particular — staff often don’t have time to mark every label with the new price. 

Labels get mixed up, prices change last-minute, and sometimes items receive multiple markdowns that never make it onto the sticker.

In every store I worked in, the till always had the correct price before the labels did. Some of the best deals I saw customers get were completely accidental when something was scanned that looked full-price, but it turned out to be heavily reduced.

2. Return rules change on Boxing Day 

A big mistake shoppers make is assuming the returns policy stays the same during the sale – it doesn’t. Christmas returns often apply only to full-price gifts. Sale items can suddenly become exchange-only or non-returnable the moment they hit the red sticker.

If you’re buying for someone else or you’re unsure about sizing, ask about the return policy before paying. It changes more often than you think.

3. Prices usually drop again after Boxing Day

Stores rarely advertise it, but markdowns tend to happen in waves. Boxing Day is the first one, then a bigger drop hits around December 28 to 30, and the biggest reductions often land in early January.

So unless the item is incredibly popular, waiting a few days can mean saving significantly more.

4. The sale usually goes live earlier than advertised

One of the biggest myths is that the sale starts on Boxing Day morning. It almost never does. Most brands push the sale prices to the website hours earlier — sometimes late on Christmas night — because websites want to avoid an IT meltdown.

If you’re awake around midnight on Christmas Day, it’s worth checking. You can often grab items before half the country even realises the sale has begun.

5. The website is updated before the store

Many shoppers assume the store knows everything the website knows, but it’s the opposite. Websites update faster, prices change earlier, and the stock you see online is usually more accurate than whatever is on the rails at 9am.

If you want to know the real price or check what sizes actually exist, the website is almost always ahead of the shop floor.

6. Ask staff nicely to check the stockroom

Normally, when customers ask staff to “check the back”, everyone knows the chances are slim – but Boxing Day is different.

New deliveries arrive overnight, boxes haven’t been fully unpacked, and additional stock for the sale is often still taped shut when the shop opens. If you’re on the hunt for something specific and it isn’t too busy, there’s no harming in asking a staff member.

However, kindness matters and polite customers always got help faster, especially during the Boxing Day chaos.

7. Always check the fitting rooms for sizes

Within the first hour of opening, shoppers pile into the fitting rooms with far more items than they actually want. And when those pieces come back out, that’s when the rare sizes and hidden gems reappear — often long before staff have time to re-merchandise the floor.

Some of the best finds I’ve seen customers walk away with came straight from the fitting-room return rail. If you’re flexible and quick, this is where you strike gold. 

8. Items in your online basket are never reserved

This is a heartbreaker, but it’s true everywhere. Placing something in your online basket doesn’t hold it, not even for a moment. If someone else pays before you, they get it.

The website doesn’t care whose basket it was in first. If you’re eyeing something popular, check out immediately.

9. Plan what to buy

Instead of browsing the sales and hoping for the best, make a clear plan of what you want to buy. 

That’s because large furniture and homeware pieces are the first to go. Stores only carry a few of each big item, and once those pieces are sold, they’re gone for the entire season.

Next to disappear are premium womenswear pieces: coats, cashmere, dresses and denim. Kidswear, general womenswear and accessories also sell fast but there tends to be more stock so items will be replenished throughout the sale period. However, finding sizes may be another story.