Shopping centre car park hack revealed

The special car parks will be available at select QIC shopping centres across the country and can be accessed by joining Thrifty Blue Chip Membership, which is free.

Aussies will embark on an almighty spending spree when the Boxing Day sales kick off after Christmas.

Shoppers will spend a combined 56 million hours browsing over the festive season, with a predicted spend of $3.9 billion on Boxing Day alone.

About four million people will head out and the average Aussie is predicted to spend $425, making a record-breaking splurge on Boxing Day, according to Thrifty Car Rental and shopping centre giant QIC.

The big spend will take place despite brutal cost of living pressures and rising interest rates squeezing Aussies from both directions.

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And while an increasing amount of shopping will be done online, a large proportion of people will still hit the brick and mortar stores.

About 44 per cent of shoppers say shopping in store is their preferred way to do business.

Some shoppers want to see their products in person before buying and others are concerned about possible delays in the post.

It’s the first time Aussies will be free to hit the shops without any Covid-19 restrictions in place – although authorities are still urging people to maintain social distancing in crowded places.

This year, to improve the shopping experience from the moment consumers arrive, QIC has announced it is partnering with Thrifty Car Rental to give shoppers a VIP parking experience and no-fuss access to some of Australia’s top shopping centres.

The partnership means dedicated Thrifty Blue Chip Member areas will be opened in QIC car parks. Members will have access to dedicated bays between December 23 and 28.

All shoppers need to do is sign up for a free Thrifty Blue Chip Membership, and have their membership details ready upon arrival to snap up priority parking during the biggest sale event of the year.

“At Thrifty, we’re about continuing to surprise and delight our customers with unique perks and rewards they actually value,” Thrifty Australia, Vice President, Eoin MacNeill said.

“We know that our Blue Chip Members are driven by deals, which is why we’ve partnered with QIC to allow our members quick and simple parking at leading shopping centres across the country this holiday season.

The Thrifty Blue Chip Membership is free to join and includes exclusive deals on car rentals, along with year-round partnership perks. To find out more visit, thriftybluechip.com.au.

Centres taking part in the program include: Castle Towers (NSW), Westpoint (NSW), Canberra Centre (ACT), Robina Town Centre (Qld), Grand Central (Qld), Eastland (Vic) and Watergardens (Vic).

Sally Harding, Head of Alternative Income at QIC, said the surge in traffic was kickstarted by Black Friday sales, which this year overtook Boxing Day as the biggest sale event of the year.

“Our shopping centres experienced bumper traffic and sales during the Black Friday sales this year,” Ms Harding said.

“It’s great to see people out and about and getting into the festive spirit after a difficult few years for everyone. Our job now is to make it the best experience possible.”