There’s not long left before the big day, so it’s time for all the slow-coach Santas to get a move on – there are only a few shopping days left to get your gifts in.
But while you may be feeling envious of that one friend who has had their Xmas pressie pile ready and wrapped since November, the joke could soon be on them: with these last minute shopping tips, you may be able to grab the best deals of the season.
Early Sales
Once upon a time you had to wait until the January sales to start taking advantage of seasonal savings, but those days are long gone. This year the sales have already started, and big-name companies like Amazon are running last-minute shopping sales in an effort to boost their pre-Christmas sales figures. While they might not be doing it for entirely selfless reasons, it’s still a great opportunity to get money off your Christmas shop.
Flash Deals
Head over to a site like hotukdeals and you can get notified of sudden flash deals – these are discounts that run for a short amount of time and often offer a decent chunk of money off. While you’re unlikely to see deals for exact items, this can be really beneficial if you’re open-minded about what to buy. Browse through different categories such as electronics and health & beauty or just look at the hottest deals of the day.
You can even sign up for push notifications on your phone: most of the year we’d advise against it, as this gets annoying fast and can entice you into buying things that you didn’t really need. However, in the week or so before Christmas it’s fair game and a great way to spot cheap gifts.
Back-of-the-rack Bargains
Shops need to clear a lot of space in order to get out their new festive stock, and that means selling off last season’s goods as quickly as they can. If you ignore the flashy displays and head to the back of the shop, you may well find sale rails full of old stock that’s still a great buy – just not festive themed.
Hit up the charity shops
At this time of year, people are busy clearing out their cupboards and wardrobes to make room for new gifts and to declutter ahead of the new year. We all know that one person’s trash is another’s treasure, and it’s definitely true that you can often find great quality second-hand items that are still in good condition for gifting.
This is a particularly good way to find pricey items like board games and children’s toys. Just make sure that anything you buy is complete and in good working order. Travelling to an upmarket area can help you to find better quality charity shop goodies.
It’s important not to feel pressure about gifting: if your budget is tight then there’s lots that you can do to show people you care without spending money. However, giving presents out at Christmas can be a great feeling, so if you do have the money to spare then we recommend trying out some of the tips above to get some real deals.
