Shoppers in Newcastle may well have been surprised to find the city centre extra busy on Tuesday night as a spending spree got under way.
The focus of attention was on intu Eldon Square , with an influx of young people looking for a bargain.
The shopping centre was again hosting its Student Shopping Night and its stores, businesses and restaurants joined forces to come up with a tempting array of discounts, deals and giveaways.
As early as 4.15pm there were queues starting to form at the likes of Schuh which was offering an overall 20% discount plus extra savings to be made by spinning a wheel outside the store.
A similar wheel was in action inside New Look opposite, which had its own queue to contend with, as well as near Boots where students were also being treated to a live DJ set.
The money-saving shopping night always offers a huge range of discounts to students from Newcastle and Northumbria Universities with as much as 50% off at many shops this time between 4pm and 9pm.
And the students didn't need telling twice, having taken the chance to sign up in advance online to benefit from a range of deals.
At Sunderland's Bridges shopping centre they estimated 8000 turned out, with Love Island star Anton Danyluk putting in an appearance, as well as all the deals on offer.
Former years have seen Eldon Square staff expect thousands of young shoppers and the signs early on Tuesday evening were that there was likely to be similar interest, with many students proving keen to also take advantage of bar and restaurant deals after their shop.
Among the restaurant offers was 50% off food and a £3 deal on margarita cocktails at Chiquito; 40% off at Crepeaffair and two for one burritos at Tortilla.
Elsewhere, among the 70 or so in-store discounts available, Boots was offering 20% off; Levi's had 30% off its fashion and Monki had a 20% saving.
Others in on the act ranged from Pandora to Topshop, with outlets geared up to ensure something for everyone alongside the entertainment and demonstrations which added to the buzz of the night.
