Tube drivers across London will stop working on those dates because of a dispute about pay. This is the third consecutive Boxing Day that the disgruntled drivers have walked out, leaving shoppers and tourists in the lurch.

ASLEF members voted 9 to 1 in favour of the strikes, showing they are serious about wanting extra pay on bank holidays. This dispute has been ongoing since 1992, and London Underground’s Howard Collins said: “Further industrial action will not achieve anything”. How very glass half empty.

According to figures released by Transport for London through a Freedom of Information request, the average tube drivers’ salary is £42,424 a year. They also get generous pension contributions (£13,151) and overtime, as well as a £250 bonus for customer satisfaction, and free unlimited travel in the capital for them and a spouse or partner for a year (worth more than £4000).

But, there’s no need to fear. Westminster City Council has said that parking in the borough will be free on Boxing Day, meaning that if you have a car you won’t miss out on the sales. Or, alternatively, you could just take the bus.