Be careful of the children, please.
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They are lost in the sea of sweating, seething adults - the hundreds of shoppers bursting through Melbourne's major retailers, as a pack of hungry wolves leap on fresh prey.
In some way, the term "Boxing Day" is a fitting description of the feisty scene at the Bourke Street Mall.
Unrepentant shoppers brush past dazed children at Myers' front, while across the road at the Emporium, fashionistas stare down rivals nabbing the marked-down and much-coveted Michael Kors tote.
It is an eye-opening scene for many of the children dragged out of bed to jostle for the day's bargains.
"There are too many people, I just don't like it," says exasperated nine-year-old Ryuseij Yasuda, flanked by his parents. He is from Singapore, but visiting Melbourne with his family for a holiday. He is dreading the endless hours of waiting that surely await him.
Watching the show from the sidelines are dedicated shop assistants, primly dressed and forever patient, whose vibrant make-up belie the many hours spent stocking their sprawling stores.
Samantha Carr, working in the watch department, has worked seven long days in the lead up to Boxing Day. She is relieved, for tomorrow, she takes a break.
"I'm exhausted, I'll be happy at the end of today," she says hesitantly, her eyes darting. She watches the expanding throng splinter into zig zagging isles.
Out on the footpath, there is a steady flow of shopping bags bearing the names of Melbourne's newer retail players - Zara, H&M, Uniqlo and Top Shop. Interminable lines of people snake out of the doors of Emporium – now a hive of buzzing activity.
Retailers say despite the sharp shift to online shopping, and falling consumer confidence, Friday's turnout has been stronger than previous years. They stick by their prediction of 1 million shoppers visiting all stores, nationally.
As the dust settles on the day's chaos, nearly everyone goes home thinking themselves a winner.
Perhaps the startled Ryuseij, the 9-year-old child from Singapore, is the one to leave the bustling scene wondering what on earth all the fuss is all about.
