Thousands of shoppers descended on Woolworths stores yesterday expecting a sales bonanza.

RICHARD GURNER spoke to customers at what was the beginning of the end for Woolies, a presence on the high street for 99 years.

There were long queues at branches of Woolworths across Sussex yesterday. Bargain hunters were keen to get their hands on cheap Christmas presents after administrators for the ailing firm announced a closing down sale.

But the reaction from customers who braved the cold weather was mixed and many complained there were not enough bargains.

Nick Turrell, 33, from the Hanover area in Brighton, was at the London Road store.

He said: “It’s a bit sad but it’s a shame they didn’t move with the times.

“They’ve got some good bits in there but it’s supposed to be half price so it is a bit of a con really.”

Keilly Carter, a 32-year-old student nurse from Fiveways, walked away from the same store empty handed.

She said: “It’s full of rubbish. It just sells junk really and it’s a bit of a jumble sale in there.

“I used to be a regular when I was younger. I usually go in there with my son but he never buys anything.

“I came here looking for some cheap Christmas presents but I’m going to Western Road to see if there is more up there.”

Barry Westby, 66, a retired nurse from Kemp Town, had success in the sale at the Western Road branch.

He said: “I got 30% off a kettle I wanted for a while. I saw it on the television last night. I thought, I’m going into town so I might as well see what they’ve got.

“I’ve got 30% off so I consider that a bargain.”

Some shoppers told The Argus they were disappointed by the lack of extra discount given compared with last week.

Lisa Buxton, 36, a music studio worker from Brighton, said: “I think they did it to get a few more people in.

“It’s a bit of a con – they said it to get the people in the doors.”

In Worthing’s Montague Street branch, shoppers were also queuing in the expectation of big discounts.

Fulvio Zottola, 41, was first in the line at 8am yesterday but could not find anything that had had its price cut further.

He said: “I must confess I was rather disappointed because I had been there the day before and nothing had changed.

“The signs were still up saying ‘up to 50% off, biggest ever sale’. The biggest discount I could find was 30% off children’s clothing.”

The Argus tried to speak to several staff members but was told they were not allowed to talk to the press.

A spokesman for administrator Deloitte said sales across the country had gone well, although he did not have any exact figures.

He said: “People have been queuing up outside and inside stores looking for bargains and our stores have been very, very busy.”

He said he did not have any specific details of the extra discounts but they were more than the initial sale announced last week.

More than 600 jobs could be lost at Woolworths stores in Sussex after it was announced a buyer could not be found for for the troubled retailer.

Deloitte has held talks with former Woolworths chief executive Sir Geoff Mulcahy and Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis but no deals have been struck.

The complexity of the group’s leases and difficulty in restocking the business after Christmas have reportedly put off interested parties.

But rival retailers, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Iceland are understood to have agreed to buy hundreds of store leases as many of Woolies’ outlets have planning permission to sell food.

Some employees could subsequently find jobs with the new owners.

Woolworths’ wholesale music, DVD and books distribution business, Entertainment UK, is also in administration but its 2Entertain media publishing joint venture with BBC Worldwide, 40%-owned by Woolworths, is still trading.