Stressless Xmas shopping

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Kiwifruta

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#1440002 3-Dec-2015 16:40

love Christmas, remembering the birth of our Saviour but despise the commercial cashing in on it.

jmh

458 posts

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#1440017 3-Dec-2015 17:44

Geektastic:
nathan: cripes you think xmas is busy in NZ, you should see what the malls and crowds and parking is like in Seattle

can't wait till it all to be over

Likewise UK.

There was a shopping centre near where I lived that had 5000 spaces in the car park and people still queued for hours (literally) to get in there.

Sheer madness.

I remember queuing for sprouts - shocking. I actually took up cycling to avoid all the traffic jams in carparks.

kiwifidget

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#1440043 3-Dec-2015 18:08

Geektastic:

Likewise UK.

There was a shopping centre near where I lived that had 5000 spaces in the car park and people still queued for hours (literally) to get in there.

Sheer madness.

Bluewater?

Delete cookies?! Are you insane?!

Oldmanakbar

110 posts

Master Geek

#1440169 3-Dec-2015 21:17

About the only Christmas thing I do is make a pav and absorb it.

Unsure why there is a need to spend money on gifts at a certain time of year. Bah humbug!!

Although I might give myself a new monitor for xmas, I think I can convince myself I have been a good boy.

alasta

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#1440189 3-Dec-2015 22:36

I gave up buying Christmas presents a few years ago and instead give the money to charity. Anyone considering buying a gift for me is encouraged to do likewise.

No shopping malls, no awful Christmas music, no unwanted gifts cluttering the house, and people or animals in need get the benefit. It's a win-win.

dickytim

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#1440248 4-Dec-2015 06:35

I was sick at home the last few days and got all my online shopping taken care of, even ordered gifts for my nephew in Melbourne from Myer to be delivered directly to him :)

jonathan18

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#1440249 4-Dec-2015 06:37

alasta: I gave up buying Christmas presents a few years ago and instead give the money to charity. Anyone considering buying a gift for me is encouraged to do likewise.

No shopping malls, no awful Christmas music, no unwanted gifts cluttering the house, and people or animals in need get the benefit. It's a win-win.

As much as I admire this generosity towards charities, I'm not sure how well this approach would work for those with children!

I love purchasing Xmas gifts for my kids, but do focus on "useful" items rather than the disposable crud that dominates many stores. For example, we are getting the older boy a bike this year. Also, a store like
Trade Aid is a great place to buy presents, and a place you can be happy about the origins of the products. We got the youngest some great Indian drums from there yesterday.

My overall approach is a mix of online and in store purchases, but it certainly involves starting early to avoid the crowds and - most importantly - the music! By now we're probably 80% done, so will be relaxing with a drink on the deck while others are stressed out in the overcrowded shops...

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MikeB4

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#1440263 4-Dec-2015 07:34

All done in one or two shops, Countdown and New World in the evening, no stress.

andrew027

1286 posts

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#1440301 4-Dec-2015 09:08

kiwifidget: Bluewater?

Born and raised in Dartford so that would have been my local, but left the UK before it opened.

BlueShift

1692 posts

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#1440391 4-Dec-2015 11:19

jonathan18: We got the youngest some great Indian drums from there yesterday.

That's a bit masochistic!
As the old apocryphal saying goes "If thy enemy offends thee, buy his child a drum"

jonathan18

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#1440397 4-Dec-2015 11:36

BlueShift:
jonathan18: We got the youngest some great Indian drums from there yesterday.

That's a bit masochistic!
As the old apocryphal saying goes "If thy enemy offends thee, buy his child a drum"

I wanted to get him an instrument from Trade Aid, and the main alternatives would have been a pan flute, ocarina, or a recorder - so drums are, I reckon, the lesser of all these evils!

BlueShift

1692 posts

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#1440554 4-Dec-2015 14:19

The really nice thing about buying from the local e-tailers is the very prompt delivery times. I ordered from Torpedo7 at about 9pm from my comfy couch, the order arrived about lunchtime the next day. The order from Mighty Ape, of several items, arrived well inside 48 hours.

I've ordered some stuff from Amazon and Dealman as well, but there's always that vague uncertainty about ordering from overseas about how long it will take to arrive or if it will go astray or get held up by Customs or whatever. I've ordered in plenty of time for xmas delivery, but if there is a holdup, it'll probably be too late to re-order or get it re-sent and I'll have to brave the malls at the last minute.

Several of the sites, can't recall which ones, had the option to have the items gift wrapped for me, but I wasn't paying nearly $5 extra per item for that.

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