Right: ANZ Pakenham staff Gabrielle Ladd and Caroline Langford had a real buzz about them during the By Glen Atwell
THE Pakenham OneDay Sale last Friday had local bargain hunters on red alert.
Whether it was a home loan, chicken fillets or skate shoes, Pakenham was on sale for eight hours and eager shoppers snapped up the bargains.
Organised by the recently formed Pakenham Business Group, shoppers and traders embraced the concept with enthusiasm.
Gavin Bindley from Cactus Black said the response to his shop’s sale had been incredible.
“There were about 50 people lined up waiting to get in at opening time,” he said.
“The first hour was very hectic.”
Mr Bindley said shoes were the main focus of those wanting to bag a serious bargain.
“We had stocked about 130 pairs of shoes for the sale, and by midday half of those were gone,” he said.
Winding down the store’s winter sale, Mr Bindley said the timing of the oneday sale was perfect.
“We are moving a lot of winter stock, and at the end of winter, that’s great news for the shop,” he said.
Down the street at Norm’s Meats, employee Des Young said it had been a busy day.
“We have been open since about 7:15am and had our first customer not long after,” he said.
Norm’s Meats slashed the price of chicken fillets to just $5.99 a kilogram.
“The chicken has been selling very well. It’s been popular. People are buying up to four kilograms at a time,” Mr Young said.
Across the street at the ANZ Bank, employee Caroline Langford got a real buzz, dressing as a bumblebee for the day and handing out rulers and stickers to children.
“I got the job somehow,” she said.
“I’m always sticking my hand up for things.”
Colleague Debbie Pickering said the bank had some red hot deals for the day.
“We are offering a feefree account for the first six months, and no loan approval fee on any new home loans,” she said.
Event organiser Richard Fromhold said everything fell into place on the day.
“Even the weather was wonderful, it has been a great day for all involved,” he said.
Mr Fromhold said the aim of the day was to get Pakenham residents back into the main street.
“We want people to remember that Pakenham does have some great bargains and deals on offer all the time, and today proved that,” he said.
But for those who missed out on snaring a bargain, Christmas will soon roll around.
“Hopefully there will be another bumper sale come Christmas time,” Mr Fromhold said.
