Retailers were geared up for record spending at the Boxing Day sales after months of cost of living pain and soaring mortgage rates, but on Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall the traditional lines of shoppers were nowhere to be seen on Monday morning.

A modest crowd queued outside the Myer and David Jones stores in Bourke Street at 5.30am, a significant reduction from previous years when lines could be seeking snaking down the mall.

Shoppers line up outside Myer’s CBD store for the Boxing Day sale.Credit:Luis Ascui

Some shoppers, such as Iren Foo, lined up outside the department stores for more than two hours, patiently waiting for the doors to open at 6am. Most were quick to admit they probably didn’t need to wake up so early to beat the crowds this year.

“I’m embarrassed,” Foo said, shying away from the TV cameras filming the queue. “Before about 4 or 5am there’s normally already more than 200 people.”

Foo, who was on the hunt for a discounted perfume and some early-bird perks, said she would still enjoy the experience. “They are quite good memories,” she said.

As the doors opened at 6am, a crowd of about 20 shoppers strolled into David Jones, heading for the escalators. Among the first to walk through the door were sisters Olivia and Chloe Bettane, who had been queueing since 5.30am.

Boxing Day shoppers wait outside Myer’s Melbourne store for the chance to grab a bargain.Credit:Luis Ascui

It was the first time the pair had driven to the CBD to line up outside the store for the sales. Olivia said she was hoping to find a new watch, while Chloe joined to do some shopping before heading to work.

“I came to see what it was like,” Chloe said. “I am working later anyway. I wanted to be up early and see if I could do some shopping before.”

Inside the store, mother and daughter Diana Feneck and Stacey Spiteri were on the hunt for some bargains. The duo said they had gone shopping together every Boxing Day since Spiteri was a teenager.

Sisters Olivia and Chloe Bettane hunt for bargains at David Jones on Boxing Day, 2022.Credit:Luis Ascui

This year, they came equipped with a shopping trolley to carry all the goods home. At 6.30am, Spiteri had already purchased a pair of Michael Kors shoes and was eying a new handbag.

The crowds at this year’s sales were not as large as in previous years, as this photo from David Jones on Boxing Day, 206, shows.Credit:Eddie Jim

“The sales aren’t as good as they used to be, but you still manage to pick up a good bargain,” Spiteri said. “They’ll have little things that are the last ones left or something.”

Despite the lean crowds in Melbourne’s CBD, Australians are expected to spend a record $23.5 billion during this year’s sales and the first weeks of the new year.

Forecasts from ARA and Roy Morgan predict Victorians will fork out $6.1 billion between Boxing Day and January 15, with clothing, shoes and electronics among the most popular items.

Finder data predicts the average shopper will spend $375 on the sales events, with clothing, shoes and electronics key categories of focus.

Across the city at DFO South Wharf, dozens lined up outside the Nike and Adidas stores looking for some retail therapy.

Among those waiting for almost an hour to browse the popular stores were Sabatinie Balasooriya and partner Joe Hess, who have turned the annual Boxing Day sales into a five-year tradition.

Joe Hess and Sabatinie Balasooriya waited for their chance to enter the Nike store at DFO South Wharf on Boxing Day.Credit:Paul Rovere

The couple usually heads down to DFO South Wharf for the early morning bargains before driving to Chadstone and the CBD. Balasooriya looks for accessories and summer clothes while Hess shops for branded activewear.

Balasooriya said they often left home at 6.30am and didn’t return until 7pm.

“It’s become a part of our relationship, I don’t even think the bargains are that worth it,” Balasooriya said. “It’s just become a day that we do together.”

With Emma Koehn

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