Couple queue for 32 hours to snap up Bath bargains

For most, Boxing Day is enjoyed surrounded by family, munching on Christmas leftovers and watching festive TV in the warmth of home.

But for a few hardened bargain hunters it meant a night stood in the freezing cold outside a furniture shop in Bath.

Heading the 100-strong queue was a Twerton couple so determined to get their hands on a bargain they set up camp outside Silcox Son and Wicks on Christmas Day – two whole days before the £1 million sale began.

Justin Clifford and partner Cheryl Tippet missed out on the golden ticket last year after turning up at the Kingsmead Square store on Boxing Day. So, this year, the dedicated duo decided to take things a step further, cutting their Christmas Day short to be first in line for the coveted sleigh bed.

They not only bagged the £1,248 sleigh bed with memory mattress for a mere £199, but also a three-seater brown leather sofa reduced from £1,199 to just £50.

"We had our hearts set on the bed and we're absolutely delighted. It's a fantastic deal and worth queuing up for," said Mr Clifford. Armed with a tent, some turkey sandwiches and a takeaway pizza, the couple queued for more than 32 hours.

Mr Clifford, 27, said: "You've got to be prepared. I was just glad to get in there. Everyone was really eager to get in. We didn't want to let anyone else have that bed."

Miss Tippet, 28, added: "We have saved more than £1,000. You can't get better than that."

While most knew exactly what kind of mania they were in for, one Keynsham teenager did not have a clue.

Josh Bryant, 18, said: "My mum has just moved to Midsomer Norton. She had walked past the shop and said she wanted the chest of drawers for her clothes, which were in a suitcase.

"She told me I couldn't have my Christmas present, a TV, until I got her those drawers. She thought I would be up for the challenge.

"I didn't really know anything about the sale and went down at 10pm Boxing Day with just a jacket. It was so cold I had to get a sleeping bag from my grandad's and my girlfriend, Char, brought me a cup of tea just before 7am and my mum brought me down a chocolate muffin before she started work."

Mr Bryant, who says he was the youngest person in the queue, got the £500 wooden chest of drawers for £5 and, after nine hours in the queue, was in and out of the shop within 20 minutes.

He added: "I wouldn't do it ever again, unless it was something I really wanted."

The Silcox Son and Wicks sale, which began in the Fifties, has become a bit of a post-Christmas tradition in Bath, with bosses dubbing this year's sale the biggest yet.

Other items snapped up by sale-hungry shoppers included a £699 solid oak dining table for £50 and a £799 leather chair for £50.

Store partner Stephen Wicks said people came from as far afield as Cardiff and Birmingham for the sale.

"Once again we had a terrific response to our annual after-Christmas sale.

"This is the biggest sale in the company's history," he said. "We need lots of room for our new stock.

"Fashions change with the seasons in the furniture industry, which is why we are offering such big deals in order to make way for new stock."