For many shoppers, the Boots Boxing Day sale is as much a part of their festive traditions as a mince pie and mulled wine. And we don’t blame them.
I worked at Boots for four years, and Boxing Day was always one of my favourite shifts of the year, helping shoppers scout out the best deals, and even bagging a few myself.
You can pick up some fantastic gifts at seriously low prices, and make a start on next year's shop to help spread the cost of Christmas over the full 12 months.
READ MORE: Exact date Aldi’s sell-out heated airer is back in stock ahead of New Year
So I’ll be sharing with you everything you need to know about the Boots Boxing Day sale for 2022, as well as my top tips and tricks for getting the best deals.
When is the Boots Boxing Day 2022 sale?
Boxing Day is on December 26, which falls on a Monday this year. The Boots Boxing Day sale will be live during opening hours, which will be reduced Sunday/Bank Holiday hours for most stores. Be sure to check with your local store before you head out.
However, in recent years, I’ve often checked the Boots website on Christmas Day and found a number of the offers already live, so it could be worth having a look online while you wait for the turkey to cook, too. Plus, it means you can beat the queues.
Why shop the Boots Boxing Day sale?
Social media will naturally see a number of people moaning about people rushing out the day after Christmas to go and spend money, but there are a number of reasons why people should hit the high street on December 26.
First of all, there are some serious bargains to be had, and if you’ve had your eye on something and Santa didn’t happen to deliver it on December 25, it’s now the perfect time to treat yourself to it.
Not only that, but Boxing Day just so happens to be the perfect time to start your Christmas shopping for the following year, spreading the cost of gifts over the whole 12 months - especially for those big ticket items that have been slashed by half price.
What are the offers?
On Boxing Day, Boots will ditch their three for two offer on green-stickered gifts and slash everything to half off the marked price.
But on top of this, the Boxing Day sale often sees money off other products, too, such as fragrance, luxury beauty and electronics like toothbrushes, hair straighteners and cameras.
Tips and tricks for shopping the Boots Boxing Day sale
How exactly do you shop the Boots Boxing Day sale like a pro? My biggest piece of advice is to PREPARE and plan.
First of all, you should visit your local stores around an hour before closing on Christmas Eve to give you an idea of what will be in stock and reduced on Boxing Day. This will also allow you to get familiar with the store layout so that you can be in and out, beat the queues and the traffic on the day.
While seeing what you might like to buy in the sales, be sure to set yourself a budget so that you don’t go crazy. Remember, it’s not a bargain if you weren’t planning on buying it in the first place.
Similarly, if you’re buying gifts in the sale to give out throughout the year, or next Christmas, have a recipient in mind, otherwise things can get a bit out of hand and you end up with stocking fillers with no real thought behind them, which ultimately wastes money.
Ahead of the day, make sure to check the store’s opening hours so that you can arrive early on Boxing Day to secure your basket of goods. Boots has, in previous years, seen long queues on December 26 ahead of store opening, so set that alarm!
If you have an advantage card - great. Make sure you’ve downloaded the Boots app and loaded all of your offers to your card. These will automatically give you the best deals and most points when you scan them at the till. If you have any physical coupons, too, bring them along and the checkout assistants will be happy to help you work out which ones to use.
If you haven’t yet got an advantage card, sign up to one for free NOW. You’ll be able to earn four points for every £1 spent, and then use those points to buy gifts next Christmas.
And my final tip is to check the clearance section. A lot of stores will use an end aisle or a small section of the store for clearance products which are often discontinued, partially damaged or nearing their expiry date. Shoppers will often find Christmas gifts heavily reduced as a result of damaged boxes or a product missing - but you can usually salvage a lot of the contents to create hampers or use as stocking fillers, too.
When is the 70% off sale?
If there is any remaining stock left at the end of January, Boots often drops the prices even further to 70 per cent off. This is a very low-key sale in-store only, and usually runs around the fourth weekend in January.
In 2017 and 2018, the sale ran from January 20 and 19 respectively, while 2019 saw the sale launch on February 1, and January 31 in 2020.
The 70 per cent off sale was postponed in 2021 due to Covid restrictions, replaced with a pay day sale in January followed by 70 per cent off in April. In 2022, the sale launched in March.
Boots have not - and are unlikely to - reveal when the 70 per cent off sale will launch, but we can expect it to be at the end of January based on previous years. In some cases, the sales are extended to 90 per cent off later in the year to shift any stock still left.
What is Boots' Christmas returns policy?
You can return any unwanted items free of charge within 35 days for a refund or replacement at Boots.
The retailer is offering an extended returns policy on Christmas gifts purchased online from October 1, 2022 up until January 31, 2023. Unwanted items need to be returned in their original condition and unused.
If you purchased your item in store, you can return the product to any store in the UK. Simply take the item and your receipt and you’ll be offered a refund or replacement.
READ NEXT:
-
Home Bargains' cheap £3.25 Christmas dinner has seriously upset shoppers
-
Mum creates amazing Grinch-themed Christmas display using £1 Home Bargain buys
-
Shoppers love ‘warm’ £8 Amazon buy that’s ‘tons better’ than M&S
-
Shoppers can’t get enough of 'miracle in a tube’ cream that vanishes eye bags instantly
-
Aldi stocking 'perfect' mulled wine gadget than costs 68p an hour to run
