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Boxing Day Sales Australia 2026 (Saturday December 26)
Boxing Day 2026 falls on Saturday December 26, with Christmas Day the Friday before. In store, sales open with each state's trading hours; online they usually start earlier, as many Australian retailers switch Boxing Day pricing on during Christmas Eve evening or on Christmas Day itself.
When do Boxing Day sales start?
There are two separate timelines. Online: pricing typically goes live from the evening of December 24 through the 25th, and the limited-stock lines are often gone before the morning of the 26th. In store: December 26, under the state trading hours below. If you are chasing genuinely limited clearance stock — TVs, big appliances — the online timeline is the real starting gun.
Boxing Day trading hours: what's open
The rules are set by state legislation, which is why this question gets asked every year:
| State / territory | Rule | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| NSW / ACT | Restricted trading day, but a conditional exemption applies: shops may trade where staff freely elect to work | Major centres generally open, often from 8–9am |
| VIC | Public holiday, but NOT a restricted trading day | Normal Saturday hours |
| QLD / WA / TAS | Generally trading | Check the individual centre |
| SA (metro) | 9am–5pm; non-exempt supermarkets stay closed | Regional SA is deregulated — stores choose |
| NT | Some stores stay closed | Check the store before travelling |
The same rules in sentence form, as verified 2026-08-08: in New South Wales and the ACT December 26 is a restricted trading day, but a conditional exemption lets any shop open where staff freely elect to work, so major centres generally trade from around 8–9am. In Victoria Boxing Day is a public holiday but not a restricted trading day under the Shop Trading Reform Act 1996 — only Good Friday, Christmas Day and ANZAC Day before 1pm are — so ordinary Saturday hours apply. Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania generally trade, with hours set centre by centre. In metropolitan South Australia trading runs 9am–5pm and non-exempt supermarkets stay closed, while regional South Australia is deregulated and stores choose for themselves. Some Northern Territory stores stay shut. Sources: nsw.gov.au "trading on public holidays" and safework.sa.gov.au "holiday trading arrangements". Individual centre hours change year to year — check the centre's own notice before you travel.
What is actually worth buying on Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a clearance event, not a new-product one. The deepest cuts are usually last-generation TVs and large appliances (new models land after CES and retailers need the floor space), end-of-season fashion and footwear, bedding and manchester, and gift lines that were over-ordered for Christmas. For current-generation electronics, November's Black Friday is usually the better window of the year.
How to tell a real markdown from a fake discount
The usual big-sale problem applies on Boxing Day too: a headline percentage measured against an inflated strike-through price tells you nothing. PriceRoo records what 4632 products actually sell for at 122+ Australian retailers every day — the judgement is made against price history we observed ourselves, not a seller's claimed RRP. Each product page shows the cross-retailer curve, and a price is only flagged as a genuine low when it sits below the recent tracked range. The method: how to track prices in Australia.
Genuine lows live right now
You don't have to wait for December — these are sitting below their tracked price range today, and the list updates daily:
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See every genuine price drop →
Related
Every major sale date: the Australian sales calendar. November's main event: Black Friday Australia. October: Click Frenzy. August: Afterpay Day.
FAQ
When is Boxing Day 2026?
Boxing Day is always December 26. In 2026 it falls on a Saturday (Christmas Day is Friday the 25th), so in most states it is both a public holiday and an ordinary Saturday shopping day.
When do Boxing Day sales start?
In store, they open with each state's December 26 trading hours. Online they typically start earlier — many Australian retailers switch Boxing Day pricing on during Christmas Eve evening or on Christmas Day itself, so if you want the limited stock you should be watching from December 24–25 rather than waiting for the morning of the 26th.
What's open on Boxing Day?
It depends on the state. NSW is a restricted trading day but a conditional exemption lets shops open where staff freely elect to work, so major centres generally trade. Victoria is not a restricted trading day at all, so normal Saturday hours apply. In metropolitan South Australia trading runs 9am–5pm and non-exempt supermarkets stay closed, while regional SA is deregulated. Some Northern Territory stores stay shut. Check the specific centre before you travel.
Are supermarkets open on Boxing Day?
That is answered by state trading law rather than by any one chain. In metropolitan South Australia non-exempt supermarkets do not trade on December 26, while regional South Australia is deregulated. Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania do not restrict the day, and in NSW and the ACT the conditional exemption lets shops open where staff freely elect to work — so supermarkets generally trade, usually on shortened holiday hours set store by store. Some Northern Territory stores stay shut. Each chain publishes its own Boxing Day hours in December, so check your local store before you travel. (State rules as verified 2026-08-08.)
Are Boxing Day sales better than Black Friday?
By discount depth and retailer participation, the Black Friday / Cyber Monday weekend has overtaken Boxing Day as the biggest sale of the Australian year, with Boxing Day the traditional runner-up. They skew to different categories though: Black Friday leans to current-generation electronics and big appliances, Boxing Day to fashion, bedding and clearance of last-generation models. Which is "better" depends on what you are buying.
Are Boxing Day discounts genuine?
Some are, some are not. Genuine clearance — last year's TV, last season's fashion — usually is a real cut, because the retailer wants the stock gone. Headline percentages measured against an inflated strike-through RRP often are not, and can be worse than an ordinary promotion earlier in the year. The only dependable test is the product's real transacted price history across retailers.
How do I check if a Boxing Day price is actually the lowest?
PriceRoo records what 4632 products actually sell for at 122+ Australian retailers, every day. Each product page shows the cross-retailer price history and the lowest price we have observed — a price is only flagged as a genuine low when it sits below the recent tracked range, measured against prices we recorded ourselves rather than a seller's claimed RRP.
Should I wait for Boxing Day or buy on Black Friday?
It depends on the category. For current-season electronics, Black Friday is usually the best window of the year and waiting for Boxing Day risks paying the same or finding it out of stock. For fashion, bedding, homewares, or if you are happy with a previous-generation model, Boxing Day clearance usually goes deeper. This is exactly what price tracking is for — you can look at the curve instead of guessing.