Christma Grot(to)

[Brissles]

Who on EARTH buys some of this stuff ? There is a lit up 'village' with ski slope and revolving train which I suppose is ok if viewed from 20 ft away, but I laughingly heard "the attention to details is amazing" - er, no it isn't love, like all 'stuff' made in China the 'detail' is actually dire. These can be seen in any garden centre before Christmas, and if made properly they could really be quite beautiful, but honestly ? ****** awful quality.

 

[merryone]

I've got a lit up "village" with various extra little bits and bobs (trees, figures, lamp posts etc) I bought it some years ago from our local Littlewoods store, it's really cute and looks great on the shelf at Christmas. I paid £11.99 for it and it looks no worse in quality than this. Big difference is that it's cheap n' cheerful. If I were to spend over £50 on a Christmas ornament (which I wouldn't) it would need to look really classy!

 

[candycane]

There used to be a company that brought beautiful wooden musical boxes with the skaters and miniature trains/trees on them. I always wanted one but they were quite pricey at the time. Mr Christmas maybe? A lot of these now are just plastic junk but I still kind of like them. I definitely do not need more Christmas decorations though.

CC

 

[Brissles]

I think the badly painted offerings now are made of resin, and by the cringe, they are badly painted which makes them so naff.

 

[Twilight]

There used to be a company that brought beautiful wooden musical boxes with the skaters and miniature trains/trees on them. I always wanted one but they were quite pricey at the time. Mr Christmas maybe? A lot of these now are just plastic junk but I still kind of like them. I definitely do not need more Christmas decorations though.

CC

Neither do I. However, my decorations are some of my most loved possessions & my favourite shop is Kathe Wohlfahrt in York so I can never guarantee never again

 

[boffy]

Who on EARTH buys some of this stuff ? There is a lit up 'village' with ski slope and revolving train which I suppose is ok if viewed from 20 ft away, but I laughingly heard "the attention to details is amazing" - er, no it isn't love, like all 'stuff' made in China the 'detail' is actually dire. These can be seen in any garden centre before Christmas, and if made properly they could really be quite beautiful, but honestly ? ****** awful quality.

My 18 month old granddaughter could paint it with more precision. Awful. Reminds me of the 1960's market stall tat.

The presenter does the other Tat line with the socks and slippers.

 

[SisterBliss]

There used to be a company that brought beautiful wooden musical boxes with the skaters and miniature trains/trees on them. I always wanted one but they were quite pricey at the time. Mr Christmas maybe? A lot of these now are just plastic junk but I still kind of like them. I definitely do not need more Christmas decorations though.

CC

No you Dont!!!!

 

[ERICS MUM]

I love the cheap & cheerful Christmas tat sold in garden centres, The Range, B&M etc but I wouldn’t pay QVC prices for it.

QVC have obviously missed the fact that the dreaded high street nowadays sells stuff that at one time could only be found on QVC, or sells cheaper versions.

 

[boffy]

Sainsburys sell lovely Christmas tat in thier larger supermarkets. They have bought out Habitat and Homebase I believe. They do nice solar lighting in Homebase and Sainsburys cheaper and better quality than QVC

 

[candycane]

Neither do I. However, my decorations are some of my most loved possessions & my favourite shop is Kathe Wohlfahrt in York so I can never guarantee never again

Oh yes, my wonderful tree that I have been putting up for over 30 years with every bauble a memory. One year I bought a pre lit thing and stuck it in the window and it felt like a friend had died lol. In fact if I remember rightly Mr CC thought there was something seriously wrong that I didn't put my proper tree up. I've had some of the baubles since the 60s.

CC

 

[Brissles]

I've kept a few special hanging tree decs that I bought years ago, which would cost an absolute fortune now, if the prices of recent years are anything to go by. The simplest bauble in most garden centres are over a fiver each ! No wonder the likes of The Range and supermarkets do so well.

 

[catzrcool]

I have baubles that go back 40 years, and you're right CC, every one a memory. I bought a Fibre Optic Gingerbread village from Q about 12 maybe years ago. It is superb, colouring is fantastic, even the tiles on the roofs, and there is smoke comes out of a chimney with fibre optics. I get it out every year and it cost me £20 then, so no idea what it may cost now. Compared to the things they are selling now, my village (not small either) is superb. What they are flogging now is proper rubbish, they should look back at what the used to sell.

 

[boffy]

I have baubles that go back 40 years, and you're right CC, every one a memory. I bought a Fibre Optic Gingerbread village from Q about 12 maybe years ago. It is superb, colouring is fantastic, even the tiles on the roofs, and there is smoke comes out of a chimney with fibre optics. I get it out every year and it cost me £20 then, so no idea what it may cost now. Compared to the things they are selling now, my village (not small either) is superb. What they are flogging now is proper rubbish, they should look back at what the used to sell.

Its about profit buy cheap sell at a high price

 

[merryone]

The sort of Christmas tat they're selling here is available everywhere in the run up to Christmas and for an absolute fraction of Q's silly prices and with no postage added of course. This is where Q have seen an opportunity, they know a lot of people hate the idea of shopping in the run up to Christmas, so would consider that paying an extra few quid on top of every item is worth it. They try and justify the high prices by touting the stuff as quality merchandise, and talk about "attention to detail", "cuteness and fun". It's high season to shift all manner of crap, and can churn out the same stuff year on year, and can tell us that things are so popular that customers have begged and pleaded to have it back again! It doesn't go out of fashion, or have a shelf life and I'm sure they've got an area of the warehouse dedicated to this sort of thing. If they've got a lot of something left over it'll be a tsv in July, stuff they've got little dribs and drabs of will probably go into the clearance sale. If they really want to stand by the Q and the V in QVC then they shouldn't be selling cheap tat for high prices.

 

[Grizelda]

The only Christmas decoration I like is a real tree alight with electric bulbs. Or, if not real, a good replica. However, I can understand the nostalgia and fond memories that go along with Christmas baubles. I just don't have any pleasant memories or baubles to go with them !

 

[User 23988]

Just looked in poundstretcher have to say there Christmas grot,is much better that the grot on QVC Market Stall.

 

[boffy]

I buy bits in the winter sale after Christmas and put it away. Love M&S and John Lewis stuff lovely quality better than "Q"

 

[Brissles]

Couple of years ago I bought from House of Frazer on line, in their January sale, tree decs for a £1 that were £8 and £10 before Christmas.

 

[Vienna]

If money were no object I`d dress a tree in Waterford crystal decorations, Braybrook and Britten sterling silver decorations and some swarovski tree decorations chucked in for good measure. Mind you each decoration would cost £100 plus and even in their half price post Christmas sales, you`d still be talking a lot of money.
There`s no point in even buying once at once in the sales because I`d be long dead before I`d have enough to half fill a tree. I guess I`ll have to rely on winning the lottery but even that`s a dream because I don`t do the lottery. Maybe I should start !

 

[catzrcool]

Christmas has arrived at our Range, alongside Halloween stuff, went yesterday to have a shufties. Also went to Home Bargains and they are filling their shelves with Christmas things as well.

I have to say, the Range does do some lovely decorations. Got a Polar Bear with a baby last year that lights up. I love it. It cost £9.99. I think the Range's Christmas stuff is far, far superior than anything q can come up with.