Bargain hunters shunned the comfort of online shopping to queue overnight in freezing conditions at the Boxing Day sales.
Some Dundee shoppers arrived as early as 2.30am for the traditional post-Christmas spending spree, with more than 200 people in the queue at Next in the Gallagher Retail Park by the time the doors opened at 6am.
With temperatures below freezing, eager shoppers clutched blankets and hot water bottles as they camped outside. As the day progressed more than 50,000 people searched out bargains at the Overgate.
Queues formed outside Next for its famous sale from the early hours and other stores, including Debenhams and Superdry, opened their doors to hordes of shoppers before 9am.
Malcolm Angus, centre manager at the Overgate, said: “By the looks of the bulging bags, we have seen being carried by our shoppers, we predict many people will have headed home happy.
“December is always very busy with Christmas shoppers and then bargain hunters and we’re looking forward to a few more days of festive fun at the centre.”
Wellgate Centre manager Jon Walton said indications were there was “very strong footfall” with more money being spent this year than last.
He said: “I think it will be around the same as last year but the difference is that sales last year were patchy. This year people do seem to be spending.”
In Perth, shoppers queued from 6am for the start of the sales.
By 9am the Fair City’s main shopping streets were largely empty, despite some shops having been open for several hours.
In Debenhams, which welcomed its first customers at 7am, a staff member said there had been a small line of people waiting to take advantage of the sale prices but the store had not been excessively busy.
More than 130 people reportedly queued outside Next before its 6am opening.
A staff member at an adjacent store said: “There was a really long queue at Next, more than 100 people, for them opening. We also had a queue but it was smaller.”
In Fife, thousands of shoppers descended on the annual Boxing Day sales.
Unperturbed by a freezing start to the day, a steady influx of customers made their way to Kirkcaldy High Street to take advantage of cut-price offerings.