Here come the big Boxing Day sales

Retailers have slashed prices to get customers through their doors on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Annual Boxing Day sales start today for those after a post-Christmas bargain or maybe looking to return an unwanted gift.

Many retailers are cutting prices on items including CDs for less than $10, cheap video games and bargains on seasonal clothes.

Furniture and appliance stores are offering discounts of up to 60 per cent on large household items.

Retailers Association chief executive John Albertson expects shoppers to be out in force as shops sell off leftover Christmas stock.

"People have had a good run of bargains leading up to Christmas and we'll have a few more days of madness," he said.

Christmas Eve, as expected, was a successful day for retailers.

"Consumers have broken free of the shackles of the gloom of 2009," Mr Albertson said.

He said the market had been hugely competitive leading up to Christmas with promotional programmes that will continue into the New Year.

Newmarket Business Association chief executive Cameron Brewer said Christmas Eve had been a solid day of sales and that they were up on last year.

"I think we knew people would always leave it until the last minute - the unknown quantity is just how big the Boxing Day sales will be."

Paymark's chief executive, Simon Tong, said New Zealanders spent a record $226 million and completed 4.2 million transactions through the company's network on Christmas Eve.

From 10am until 4pm electronic sales ran at 100 a second, peaking at 131 a second.

Electronic retail sales between December 1 and 24 totalled $3.5 billon.