Shoppers queued in the dark on Boxing Day morning ahead of the high street sales, braving the cold weather in search of bargains... but not in Malta.

While throngs of hardy souls waited outside stores on London’s Oxford Street in frost and freezing temperatures, Boxing Day sales here where met with mild enthusiasm.

Although key franchises, like Esprit, Oasis, Next and Debenhams, and a few local shops offered post-Christmas discounts of up to 50 per cent, the majority of outlets were still selling at normal prices and most were no busier than usual.

Sales in Malta tend to start with a whimper rather than the bang in the rest of Europe.

Fashion stylist Marisa Grima told Times of Malta sales in Malta tended to start on January 2. “There is the feeling that the Maltese people still shop for items to wear for New Year’s eve and day events so shops prefer to hold their sales after,” she said.

Online shopping is a phenomenon we cannot ignore

She said that, even then, prices would not be slashed as much as on Boxing Day abroad because establishments in Malta had to contend with shipping costs that tended to drive up costs.

Carmen Borg, senior executive at the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises – GRTU, said large chain stores abroad bought in bulk and, therefore, could afford the heavy price reductions.

“People have to take into consideration the size of our country and the fact that our outlets are small,” she said.

Online shopping is also a threat to sales in Malta.

“It is a phenomenon we cannot ignore, which is why we encourage our shops to invest in the online aspect of their business, even with the help of government schemes. We also urge shops to offer better services to customers who prefer to buy things physically,” she said.

According to Ms Grima, the risk that clothes bought online might not fit was not putting people off.

“People don’t even bother sending them back. I would say the services of seamstresses are on the increase these days with more people taking in clothes bought online for alterations.”

With temperatures dropping, is bad weather expected to keep shoppers away or dampen the enthusiasm of bargain hunters?

“The weather does not stop people from going shopping but it does affect what items they buy. Because it is not yet cold, coats and thick clothes have not been selling much,” Ms Borg noted.

A recent survey by the GRTU showed that Sliema was this year’s most popular shopping venue.

A study by Deloitte and EMCS Consulting confirmed that Valletta is losing ground to Sliema when it comes to shopping.

Several people told Times of Malta the reason for this could be that shops in Sliema were larger, had more variety and parking was more convenient.

The GRTU will be releasing another survey in the second week of January, analysing shopping location trends during the sales.

Meanwhile, as Maltese shoppers trawled through the limited sections of sales in clothes shops, over the continent, Boxing Day is thought to have been the busiest of the year in terms of online shopping rather than actually buying from shops.

Experts said that, although shoppers were as hungry for bargains as ever, they were increasingly opting to stay at home on Boxing Day because browsing the internet on tablets was easier.

In the UK, thousands of shoppers did not wait for Boxing Bay but went on websites on Christmas Day for early bargains.

What to look out for

• Check out designer basics, replenish your wardrobe by replacing old black trousers, white shirts and grey cashmere.

• Look at what trends are coming in spring and look out for pieces that can help you start out in the next season.

• Avoid buying a lot just because it is cheap – you buy cheap you get cheap. Leave disposable fashion for the under 21s.

– Carina Camilleri