SHOPPERS hit the stores early in search of a Boxing Day bargain.

By 8am this morning, more than 300 people had already arrived at the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet in Rodbourne.

Girl Taia Emery, 11, from North Swindon, was hoping to use her Christmas money to buy a purse.

Mum Nicole, 39, was waiting with her outside clothes giant Ted Baker. She said of the perfect Boxing Day sale: “It needs to be cheaper than before Christmas Day. A good selection is important. You have to be there early.”

Wayne Petrie, 50, hoped to find a bargain at the Puma store. He said: “When I come here I look for sporting gear. You can pick up a pair of £50 trainers for a tenner.”

The Greenmeadow man was one of the first to arrive at the outlet: “I work early anyway and I can’t stand crowds.”

Standing outside the outlet, mum Michelle Tulip had already picked up a bargain – snapping up a £20 coat from Next that had been reduced from £39.

The 55-year-old from Lyneham said: “You always get quality here.”

Kerry Gover, owner of PinkBox Boutique, hoped to sell off many of her Christmas gifts.

“We’re here until January,” said Kerry, whose Devizes-based boutique is running a pop-up Christmas market at the outlet.

“We’ve got lots of gifts made by people who work locally. We need to clear our stock.”

She said that fans of traditional wooden toys could pick up a bargain at the boutique, with 20 per cent off gifts by Cheltenham-based Orange Tree Toys.

In Swindon town centre queues developed outside cosmetics retailer Lush. 

Danielle Johnson, 25, from North Swindon, said: "I only came in to go to Lush." 

Unlike other retailers, the chain only offered its Boxing Day deals in-store - citing a desire to make sure they sold only fresh produce. 

In a statement posted on their website, a Lush spokeswoman wrote: "In the same way that your Christmas nut loaf is best enjoyed fresh, so are our products."

What’s the best bargain you’ve found today? Let us know. Message us on Facebook or email newsdesk@swindonadvertiser.co.uk.