Hi

We are planning itenerary for our trip to England and Germany in Dec 06 during the Xmas period.

Heard that the sales on boxing day in London is fabulour. Is it true? do we have to be in the shop early in the morning or can we drop by the shop around late afternoon? What time normally the shops close on boxing day?

Not all shops in central London open at all on Boxing Day. Nor BTW, do all shops close. Boxing Day is a public holiday: virtually all out of town shops open that day, but many shops just don't see the point of opening their central London branches at overtime pay when few customers are going to be coming into town.

There is no one day on which all sales start. How could there possibly be?

Many shops will have started their sale before Christmas: Harrods is some time after, and John Lewis usually waits till Dec 27.

Some shops (most often Next) make a thing of opening at, say, 6am on the first day oftheir sale: others have a handful of preposterous bargains, and once upon a time there was a bit of a thing about camping out for three days to be at the front of the queue to get the sofa for £5. This seems to have died out in a world where most goods are available year round, made in China, at pretty much that price anyway.

Less dramatic bargains tend to last for the whole couple of weeks. Whether they strike visitors as bargains is a different matter.

This site gives Jan 2006 dates - shouldnt be too much different in 2007

http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Ideas/G...nuarySales.htm

If it's anything like it's been for the past few years most sales will be starting BEFORE Christmas

Has there ever been a time when there wasn't a sale at DFS?

I think you'll find that with the current value of the dollar vs the BP, that there really aren't any bargins. Amost anthing you find in London can be bought in the US for considerably less.

I went shopping once on Boxing Day at Marks and Spencers--no big sales like in the U.S. AND the dressing rooms were closed. Strange I thought.