CROWDS streamed into Orchard Road malls the minute doors were thrown open on Friday, the first day of the Great Singapore Sale (GSS).

Lured by discounts of between 30 and 70 per cent, bargain-hunters arrived early to wait for the shutters at department stores such as Takashimaya to go up.

But though staff at stores said the crowds seemed on par with those last year, many shoppers The Straits Times spoke to said they planned to be more judicious in their spending this time around.

Retailers had feared that fewer people would turn up for the two-month-long sale, with Singaporeans' pockets hit by the rising cost of living.

However, Friday's turnout had retailers optimistic of even larger crowds over the weekend.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.