Aussies are bargain hunters

According to the Australian National Retailers Association, December retail sales are up 3% on last year and 10% on the year before. Shoppers spent $38 billion in the lead-up to Christmas and are expected to spend another $15 billion by the end of the sale season around January 15 2009. Retailers say that shoppers have become extremely sensitive to sales and when discounting ends, buyers disappear from shops.