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Thursday, December 30, 2010

Boxing Day in Sydney 2010

I forgot that malls in suburbs are closed on the day after Christmas--Boxing Day.  Due to being busy leading up to Christmas, I guess I've really lost my sense of time and forgot about when shops open and close in our suburb during Christmas holidays.  Take note that I've lived here for five years already and only this year that I forgot that we always go out to the mall on the 27th December and not Boxing Day.

My Husband and I woke up early and even planned to have breakfast at our favorite cafe at the mall.  When we arrived at the mall, it was closed and only then I realized that we were a day early.

Hungry and a bit sleepy, we went to the only place opened, McDonald's, and had breakfast there while we figure out what the heck we will do for the day.  It was raining so the Husband thought we should just go home but he took pity on me because I really wanted to go somewhere that day.  The only option was to go to City and be part of the mad rush of Boxing Day.  So off to the City we went to experience Boxing Day in Sydney.

Boxing Day in Sydney 2010

Boxing Day (26 December) is a great opportunity to go shopping as this is the time of the year that stores in Australia give huge discounts on their merchandise.  My Husband and I save up and allot money just so we can shop on Boxing Day because the discounts are really big!

Our first stop was at the Lululemon Athletica (yoga clothes and apparel store) where I found a pink shirt for only AUD$29.00 (original price was $75.00)
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Boxing Day in Sydney 2010

And I love their re-usable bags---very inspiring!
Boxing Day in Sydney 2010


On our way to Pitt Street, we passed by the Apple Store and noticed a lot of people inside although Apple never goes on sale even if it's Boxing Day.
Boxing Day in Sydney 2010


Then we arrived at Pitt Street.  Before lunch, there wasn't much people yet. 
Boxing Day in Sydney 2010


But during lunch time, the crowd grew thicker.  This was the entrance to Myer.  There was a long queue just to get inside.  And when you get inside, there were long queues to elevators and escalators, whether you are going up or down.
Boxing Day in Sydney 2010


Street performers entertaining the big crowd.
Boxing Day in Sydney 2010


Traffic in the city was slow.  Rarely do we bring the car when we go to the city due to traffic and parking concerns.  For us, it is best to just take public transport.
Boxing Day in Sydney 2010


There were long queues everywhere; from going in and out of stores, up and down the escalators/elevators, food courts and restaurants, toilets and even for public transport on the way home.  If you are not in a good mood and have no sense of humour, you won't be able to endure the big crowd that Boxing Day brings. 
Boxing Day in Sydney 2010

My Husband and I, however, enjoyed the moment while we were there.  It was challenging to shop but we got the stuff we came for.  We weren't able to eat at a decent restaurant, instead we had very late lunch at a food court.  It was the first time we experienced Boxing Day in Sydney so we didn't let anything irritate us or dampen our spirits.  We may not do this again but we will remember the fun we had on that day.

Our good buys this Boxing Day:

Christmas wrappers and cards.  The best time to buy Christmas stuff is after Christmas!  I always buy our Christmas needs AFTER Christmas.  So the stuff I bought this year will be used for next year.
Boxing Day in Sydney 2010


Beauty products.  If you want to try a new beauty product, this may be the best time to try them out!  The L'Oreal moisturisers I bought were on sale for AUD$9.99 each (original price was around AUD$35.00-45.00) so I thought I might as well try them out.  This is also the time I replenish on beauty products such as a mascara.  I found this Maybelline mascara for only AUD$11.00.
Boxing Day in Sydney 2010


The Husband bought new work clothes.  He only buys new work clothes during Boxing Day sale.  A few shirts and pairs of pants to last him the whole year and he's a happy camper.  I'm a happy wifey too because we saved lots from all the big discounts.  It also saves us time because we never shop for his clothes the whole year.


AFTER Boxing Day, we went to the mall in our suburb and bought a few more stuff.  There are lots of remaining items on sale and I'm glad that we found a few Tefals frying pans.  I just bought a small one because that's the only one I need.
Boxing Day in Sydney 2010


Our After-Boxing-Day shopping loots were mostly for the kitchen:  a StickMaster Plus, pizza cutter, pastry brush set and a 20-cm Tefal frying pan.
Boxing Day in Sydney - 2010

This year's Boxing Day sales
was fun and fruitful.  We got to experience something new and we were able to buy stuff we need for us and for our home.