The tree is up and dressed, the menu for the day discussed and food orders in, and the presents... well, to be honest, I’ve only a few bought and yet to be wrapped. Point one for Christmas: make a list. Sure as eggs are eggs, you’ll get home and realise you’ve forgotten the one thing you went into town to get.
It may come as a surprise but according to a survey carried out by CompareNI.com, 25% of us still prefer to visit shops with only 20% doing their shopping online. The rest fluctuate between the two. It’s impossible to turn a blind eye to the efficiency of online; I went shopping for particular notebooks at the supermarket which has stocked them for years only to find a new range which were not suitable for my uses.
I went to the company site on the internet and found their notebooks were out of stock. They offered to email me once these were available with a note - multi-buy six or more and save. Price per item £4.04. No sign of their email as yet.
Success
Then I noticed my notebook on Amazon. On Saturday morning I ordered four at £1.99 each plus postage and it came to a total of £12.55 and they were delivered at lunchtime the next day. So basically I tried to buy them in the shop, I tried to buy them from the manufacturer, but I could only get them online - and at a much cheaper price. Hard to argue with that.
I know men who search for the cheapest petrol and then drive extra miles to get it. So the money you save is spent on driving all the way to the chosen petrol station. Where’s the logic in that? A woman wouldn’t fall for it - even a middle class women of a certain age
However, it can sometimes be chancy to order online. So, how do you know it’s genuine?
Mary lives in the country and does most of her shopping this way and has some advice, especially at this time of year when pressure is great on both customer and provider. “If I see something on Facebook that I fancy I then go onto Amazon on the internet to see if it’s genuine, and only when I’ve read all the small print do I place my order and keep my email receipt,” she tells me.
“This has been recommended by a bank fraud department. Also I often find it’s cheaper on Amazon than in a brochure which is a good thing to remember. I also keep a bank account for online shopping with only a limited amount in it so if I am scammed there’s very little to lose.
“I also make sure there is a refund policy and a label for returns.” Still, be very careful when placing an order - if in doubt, don’t bother.
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Travel Light
The survey has also discovered that with a third of people travelling between 10 and 20 miles for Christmas shopping and with 82% admitting it takes them more than one trip to find and purchase all their presents this, plus traffic jams and a lack of parking places, makes for a very tiring and expensive shopping trip.
So CompareNI has come up with some tips to help cut down on the cost of travel, ideas like making sure your tyres are at the correct level of air which can boost your fuel economy by up to 3%. Strip your car of anything heavy to improve fuel economy - an empty roof box and an empty boot helps.
Even wash your car. What help is that? Apparently little or no debris on the body work means it can travel more efficiently. MD of Compare NI Ian Wilson has it sussed: “With the added mileage and possible traffic congestion simple things like driving economically, reducing the weight of the car and planning the trip ahead to include the cheapest petrol stations can all help keep costs down.”
Good common sense, but I know men who search for the cheapest petrol and then drive extra miles to get it. So the money you save is spent on driving all the way to the chosen petrol station. Where’s the logic in that? A woman wouldn’t fall for it - even a middle class women of a certain age!
Use Your Imagination
I’ve also worked out a plan for buying for friends and relations, although not for sons and daughters or grandchildren - they get special attention. Throughout the year I try to elicit ideas from them, in some cases paying towards car insurance or a fill of oil plus some little token wrapped in Christmas paper and put under the tree.
For children books make a good main gift. For the rest I plan to go to one store and buy everything there or perhaps think of a variation on one item; two years ago I bought a dozen good quality kitchen scissors and they were well received. Another time it was scarves - silky, woolly, plain and fancy - and for one couple two sirloin steaks, onions and a bottle of wine. That went down well.
Happy shopping.
