LIVINGSTON Simms was among scores of shoppers who flocked participating stores for bargains in the 2014 Jamaica Observer Takes Style Out as Half-Way-Tree, St Andrew, came alive after dark yesterday.

He told the Observer that he journeyed from St Mary, where he sells clothes, to capitalise on the deals being offered. Just a few minutes after the official 5:00 pm start to the five-hour shopping event, Simms already had a few bags in tow and he told the Observer he was just getting started.

Simms was one of several shoppers who said they specifically waited until yesterday to see just how they could benefit. Were they disappointed? Many shoppers said no, expressing appreciation for the sale prices they were seeing.

Retailers were just as happy because what was seemingly a slow start to TSO quickly upped its tempo as music echoed from several corners in the Corporate Area and shoppers milled about plaza corridors and in shops.

Payless in Tropical Plaza proved popular. It was abuzz with activity when the Observer visited, with shoppers forming a line that snaked along aisles, bending to accommodate more shoppers. The Observer was told that shoppers were also being strategic with their spending as they came into the store early and waited until the sale started at 6:00 pm — an hour after the official start time for the event — to approach the cash registers. Very few seemed perturbed by the length of the line as they waited patiently, obviously pleased with the sale prices.

Margaux Brown, product category manager, lifestyle for Puma, told the Observer that the move from September to October was definitely a plus for TSO as several shoppers made their way through the different items on sale in the Puma Store.

“Shoppers usually tend to like our store because of the discounts and it is around the time when we offer discounts, whether through TSO or our own sale,” Brown explained, adding that the store is not usually as busy on a Thursday as it was yesterday.

One shopper told the Observer that he has been keeping his ear to the ground, scoping out the stores with the best bargains and that when this newspaper spotted him in Tropical Plaza, this was after he had made several stops in the Liguanea and downtown Kingston areas.

He was also very pleased with the deals being offered by the participating stores.