Last Tuesday, 26 December, was circled red on many Sydneysiders’ calendar. The day, along with Christmas, is observed as a public holiday in Australia. The annual Boxing Day bonanza kicked off as early as 7am in the city. For the uninitiated, the end of year dash marks our shopping calendar’s biggest event. Myer opened at 7am and Westfield Sydney followed suit at 8am. In the past, the mad scramble had influenced our family. We were out the door by 6am. For us, that was a one and only happening. I was able to grab some bargains at Myer. We had sixty dollars in rewards after shopping up a storm in September 2013. This year was more low-key. We didn’t leave until 11am. We went to the city centre, where I made a beeline for JB Hifi at The Galleries.

‘Hello Moto‘

I was on the lookout for a new 5G mobile phone. Upon checking Ozbargain, I sighted this cool deal. The Moto E84 5G wasn’t discounted at $399. However, it came with a $100 JB gift card. The phone had better specs than my current one. At 12gb of RAM, this was double that of my former handset. It also has a slightly better refresh rate (120hz vs 90hz). The charger is the same at 30 watts. It likewise uses a pOLED display. The E84 comes in three colours, including dark blue and maroon.The marshmallow/light blue colour attracted me. This hue was exclusive to JB. Both the light blue and the red versions were made with some vegan leather.

Upon entering the store, it wasn’t the first Motorola phone that I sighted. The Moto Edge 30 Pro was half price at $449. Upon reading the reviews, I learned that it does not have a headphone jack. Moreover, it carries a smaller battery, less storage, and less RAM. More importantly, the G84 was released more recently, in September 2023. On the plus side, the Edge has a better and faster processor. The display is bigger and takes up more real estate than its cheaper cousin.

It charges at least five times faster than its more affordable kin. After ten minutes, I made a hasty decision: I’m going with the G84. On the surface, the Edge seems a good deal. It was retailing for $999 and, as noted, is down to $449. However, one would be mistaken in saying that the phone is only $50 dearer. You have to factor in the gift card. That’s a big reason to buy the E84 over other midrange handsets.

In the city

After our JB jaunt, we ducked into Officeworks. Nothing to see there. Indeed, at JB, there was way more foot traffic. That usually means better deals. We crossed the road onto Pitt Street Mall. The crowds were bumper to bumper. It was good that we we were able to finding seats in the food court. I bought some pide for lunch. I noticed that most shoppers had a bag or three. One guy was clutching an Onitsuka Tigers bag. Upon finishing, we didn’t linger. We took the bus to Birkenhead (BH) Point.

BHP

The latter is a midsized factory outlet in Drummoyne. It sits right at the water’s edge. The see through glass roof provides ample sunlight for shoppers. There are many branded retailers over three levels. The concept is similar to DFO in Homebush, with smaller store space. I first visited around ten years past. David Jones (DJ) used to occupy a large space. Peters of Kensington has since taken over the spot. Like Westfield Eastgardens, in general, business isn’t too good. The Boxing Day stampede was an outlier. Ordinarily, a queue is hard to find. DJ wouldn’t have given up its perch if their items were selling like hot cakes.

Mind your dollars

Everything, not just the clothing, is more expensive. Even the food is not priced for the plebs. The cheapest apple juice was going for $3.80. At that price, you could buy six of the 250ml packs at the supermarket. The empanadas were $6.90 each. They were rather disappointing. I bought several items at Oporto. The price wasn’t worth it. Don’t go looking for KFC or Maccas: they’re not available there. Instead, there’s Subway, gozleme, kebabs, Chinese takeaway, and Japanese cuisine.

Past buys

Many moons ago, I remember buying a striped Levi’s tee from their BH shop. I didn’t really need the top as I already own a similar polo from CR. It seems durable though and I still don it. Once, I nabbed two pairs of Nike trainers. The grey runners are still around, though I seldom use them. In 2021, before the lockdown, I grabbed some black jeans from Tommy Hilfiger at $44. March of last year, I bought a green logo tee from the same store. Note that this wasn’t on Black Friday or Boxing Day. I nabbed lots of summer tees, A4 notebooks, and a jumper from Cotton On.

Branded

This time, we went there since I had to pick up shoes from Hype DC. We dropped by Superdry. Their sale was underwhelming. A blue backpack was still being sold at $79. I had zero interest in their thick hoodies, jumpers, and jackets as I have too much already. Thing is, I have so much Superdry outfits. I need a diet plan.

While browsing the small Macpac store, I noticed this down vest was on sale for $108. I had a similar looking vest from Aldi for a fraction of the price. We did not wander into adjacent Kathmandu. Their price tags are just as head scratching. We had a look around: Country Road, Tommy Hilfiger, and Strandbags. Nothing to see. The sizes were either too small or too big. If you were lucky enough to chance upon your size, they were left for a reason. There were lots of eager beavers at Tommy. However, the same thing applies: wrong sizes.

Polo Ralph Lauren wasn’t even air conditioned. I felt like I was in a souk with all these people bargain hunting. The prices were exorbitant. $130 for a polo? Meh. If you remove their iconic logo, it’s no different than a $20 polo from Rivers. You’re just paying for the brand name. Nothing else. Though most of my polos are branded, buying a designer top is a different matador. I doubt any of those shoppers were going to buy anything. They were just browsing. After many hours at Birkenhead, only one lass was carrying a Ralph Lauren bag. By the looks of it, it was probably a cap.

ASICS Gel-Lyte OG

We queued at Hype DC. We waited for maybe fifteen minutes. I was able to try on the ASICS pair. The split tongue was a notable feature. I liked the brown and green colour way. Clearly, size ten was not a good fit. Size 11 was okay. It had a reinforced heel and khaki laces. The branding at the quarter and back wouldn’t be visible, especially if worn with trousers. I could see the Gel OG would be a good companion for hiking. The suede and leather material makes it a dry weather pair. Mind you, it wasn’t cheap, down from $200 to $130. I know though that it would be worth it. I returned the size 10 and went home with the 11. I forgot to check for the insole. Regardless, size ten had no allowance. My toes were touching the front.

On our way out, the queue had really stretched. Knock on wood. The store could only accommodate maybe fifteen humans. They seemed to be attracted to the promo, which proclaimed up to fifty percent off. Furthermore, there were only a number of shoe stores around (the others being Merrell and Florsheim.

We went to the former. They had a waterproof leather pair for $169. However, I found the shoes a bit heavier than the ASICS. In addition, the discount was only twenty percent. I also have a couple of Merrells already, while the ASICS is a new label in my sneaker lineup. I bought my companion a smiley brolly at Spotlight. I had a peek at the North Face. A minute later, I wonder how they still survive. We probably should’ve gone to Specsavers, I mean, Converse. Their outlet was advertising up to sixty percent off. Given the mediocre foot traffic, they were probably out of sizes too.

Carrying bags

We went to Peter Alexander and Typo. Both were overpriced and sported ‘seconds stock’. Even with a further twenty percent off, only a handful were browsing the pyjama chain. Gone was the day when I picked up a $25 grey panda sleep pant. Meanwhile, there were a lot more people at Typo.

We had empanada and drinks for merienda, which made me feel nostalgic. it was then like the old times, with us doing the groceries. These days, we always get our weekly shop delivered via Coles. We still do smaller shops at the local Woolies. Aside from the kicks, we brought some groceries.

What’s in your hand?

A lot of people were carrying big Nike bags. Others were bringing Puma or Adidas, probably shoes. There were no Strandbags or Tommy. No Country Road, Florsheim, Boss, and only a pinch of Peter Alexander. There were a few Connor and Superdry bags.

The price of admission

Even with the shoes and brolly, the experience was disappointing. I had expected to haul in some other branded items. It felt like an overhyped movie. With the Gold Class pricing, you envisioned a glorious picture. Turns out you were wrong. I was even told to remain in the city as there were more stores and better deals. This shop was similar to 2018, when I visited Macquarie Centre and came home ‘lightweight’. I wish I’d listened. Perhaps people went in droves because of the tranquil riverside ambience. That’s one expensive view.

My New Year’s resolution for 2024: avoid getting overpriced gear.