Stores are ready for a fresh onslaught of bargain hunters during Hull's Boxing Day sales.
Shoppers are expected to be queuing overnight on Christmas Day to be in with a chance of bagging expensive goods at discount prices.
The hugely popular Next sale is likely to draw the biggest crowds in St Stephen's shopping centre on Friday.
Centre manager Jim Harris said hundreds of shoppers queued up last year.
He said: "Boxing Day is always a cracking day for retailers in Hull, and most stores are offering huge discounts.
"We had more than 300 people who queued up for the Next sale last year and some of those had been queuing since midnight on Christmas Day."
The annual Next festive sale draws huge crowds at branches across the country, with up to half price offered on goods ranging from suits and coats to bags and shoes.
In Hull, the Next store in St Stephen's shopping centre will open from 6am on Friday.
Mr Harris said he expects most stores in the city will see a boost in trade on Boxing Day.
"The people of Hull love a bargain," he said.
"Not all cities are busy on Boxing Day – in some places, shoppers wait until new year – but Hull people definitely have their eye on the early deals."
All of the main high-street stores will be slashing their prices before January, but the best bargains are likely to disappear fast.
The Debenhams store will be open from 7am on Boxing Day and there will be thousands of items on sale.
For deals on electronics Curry's is expected to slash its pre-Christmas sale prices even further, with offers on laptops, tablets and household gadgets.
The House of Fraser winter sale starts online at noon today and in stores nationwide from 8am on Boxing Day. There will be discounts of up to 50 per cent in all departments, including its range of designer clothes.
Marks and Spencer's has already started to cut its prices on popular Christmas gifts such as jumpers and toiletries but there will be further discounts for shoppers venturing out this weekend.
It is not only the big department stores who are offering winter discounts.
Kathryn Shillito, city centre manager at retail group Hull Bid, said many independent shops will be offering some good Boxing Day deals.
She said: "The smaller retailers do tend to follow what the department stores do, so there will be some good bargains around.
"This is the time of year when retailers really give their all to squeeze those last few extra pounds out of festive shoppers, which will tide them over for the leaner months in January and February.
"Shops are looking to clear their shelves of seasonal stock and we are seeing retailers put a lot of effort and creativity in trying to pull in Christmas shoppers."
The city centre has become increasingly crowded in the past few days, but there have also been long queues at shopping centres and retail parks around Hull.
Earlier this week, shoppers at Kingswood Retail Park were stuck in traffic for up to two hours as the car park became overcrowded with motorists.
Drivers said they were unable to leave the car park because of huge queues.
Yesterday there was chaos at a supermarket in Bransholme when the store was forced to close briefly to control the crowds.
Louise Smith, manager at North Point Centre, confirmed its recently refurbished Iceland store had to close for up to 15 minutes because of the pre-Christmas rush.
She said: "Iceland closed for between ten and 15 minutes because we have been so busy.
"It was literally to allow the people who were in there to get out and then allow the next lot in."
Many stores will open earlyTHE Next sale will start at 6am on Boxing Day with up to 50 per cent off everything in store.
House Of Fraser's sale will begin at 8am.
Discounts include 30 per cent off an Armani leather aviator jacket, which will be reduced from £505 to £353, and more than 50 per cent off a floral Biba dress, which has dropped from £75 to £37.50.
The Debenhams sale will open its doors at 7am offering discounts on clothing, beauty, home ware and furniture. Shoppers could save £1,200 on a Wadebrdige dining table and chair set or pay half price on Vera Wang Princess perfume, which costs £25.
Marks & Spencer in Whitefriargate, city centre, will open at its usual time of 8am although there will be some restrictions. It is unlikely shoppers will have the chance to try on their purchases before they buy as changing rooms are due to close to control the crowds.
The majority of stores in the city's largest shopping centres will also offer Boxing Day deals.
Prospect Shopping Centre is open from 8am and Princes Quay will be open from 10am.
St Stephen's will also open from 10am, although some retailers will take advantage of the crowds drawn into Next by opening earlier.
