Bargain hunters flood into David Jones for Boxing Day sales. Credit:Scott McNaughton

When Kate* began working at a clothing store in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, she never imagined that she'd spend her busiest shift of the year cleaning urine stains off the carpet in a change room.

“I had a lady come in with her kids … and one of them decided to do a wee all over the wall and on the floor,” she said. “I looked in the spare change room and there was [urine] everywhere.”

For retail workers, Boxing Day is full of surprises.

While the public elbow their way through large crowds in search of a bargain on one of the busiest sale days of the year, those on the other side of the counter brave the frontline of what can be a messy and confrontational day.