Gift sales patter

[loveallthingsitalian]

Last night they were selling a wooden pre lit Christmas tree. The guest wanted us to take it to a hotel room, JF wanted us to put one at each place setting and let each dinner guest take it home with them (23.56 each plus post).

Just now the guest is talking about when auntie calls round for mince pies and a sherry you could go to your gift drawer and whip out a gossip watch for her. (Somehow a sherry drinking auntie and a really bling watch don't go together IMO, especially since you didn't consider giving her anything in the first place )

Not living in the real world.

 

[Bea Frugal]

The quacker man said we should buy a fleece to slip on before opening the door to wow the hermes delivery person.

 

[Julius]

The quacker man said we should buy a fleece to slip on before opening the door to wow the hermes delivery person.

Can't imagine a delivery person being overawed by a cheap old fleece! The man was just out to fleece people!

 

[historymystery]

Oh Gawd, these shows get more like the Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders Youtube take-off of Selly Telly every single day, don't they? I don't think most Hermes drivers would care if you opened the door dressed as King Kong as long as they could get off your doorstep and on to the next drop in 5 seconds, and as for sherry drinking aunties popping round, are we suppose to just happen to have a gift-wrapped watch waiting on spec? If she's a sherry drinking auntie she'd probably prefer a bottle of the same, rather than an overpriced Q watch.

Can't imagine a delivery person being overawed by a cheap old fleece! The man was just out to fleece people!

 

[Mazza]

The quacker man said we should buy a fleece to slip on before opening the door to wow the hermes delivery person.

Say what now???? Is that to seduce them or just to impress them? My Hermes chap is a laid back Rasta. Do they get overwhelmed by fleeces?

 

[Brissles]

Oh Gawd, these shows get more like the Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders Youtube take-off of Selly Telly every single day, don't they? I don't think most Hermes drivers would care if you opened the door dressed as King Kong as long as they could get off your doorstep and on to the next drop in 5 seconds, and as for sherry drinking aunties popping round, are we suppose to just happen to have a gift-wrapped watch waiting on spec? If she's a sherry drinking auntie she'd probably prefer a bottle of the same, rather than an overpriced Q watch.

I'm an 'auntie', but certainly don't fit the stereotype of sherry drinking - wouldn't touch the stuff (but offer me a Southern Comfort or Bombay Gin and I'm yer gal ! - I rather like the gin swilling Aunt term !!) . I don't know any grannies either who are 'little and grey haired' (although yes, we are in the realms of the great great granny now). Funny how we never speak of "pain in the arse sister in laws" or "ignorant little swine nephews ", and so on .......... just a thought !!!

 

[mariecat]

"Not living in the real world." Too right! The 'gift drawer' should only consist of some small boxes/nice quality bars of choccis or some nice soaps or individually wrapped small candles or a nice pair of socks - that type of thing - no individual present costing more than a fiver!! The sherry drinking auntie would be happy with one of those - and her getting invited in the first place for a sherry and a mince pie would be part of her 'present' surely lol! As for the Hermes man, just answering the door fully dressed is enough (has the world gone completely mad!?!).

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

I'm sure we have all been caught out with an unexpected present, perhaps once in 10 plus years, but does this really warrant having a whole drawer/cupboard dedicated to this rare unexpected occasion.

 

[Vienna]

3 pairs of sterling silver CZ earrings which should have cost £75 for the 3 pairs from Debenhams, bought in their sale for £30 total and free p and p
2 MB gift sets should have cost £64 but cost £49 with discount code and free p and p
A whole box full of Crabtree and Evelyn stuff (at least 6 pressies) bought during their Summer sale for a grand total of £39 and free p and p
2 real leather cosmetic organiser bags bought from Bags etc on a BOGOF a couple of months ago for a total of £39 and free p and p, they should have been £39 each
A 7 inch Kindle fire bought on offer from Amazon for £49 and free p and p
So that`s all the adults/teenager pressies sorted for under £200, total of 14 pressies.

 

[donna255]

I buy all but two of my presents in the sales after Christmas and Summer as well. The two I have to buy fresh are for my 80+ aunt who loves Crabtree & Evelyn little biscuit and tea gift sets because of the use by dates can't buy in the sales. And two bags of Thornton's toffees £5 for both for a friend thats all he wants.

 

[Peppermint Patti]

I'm sure we have all been caught out with an unexpected present, perhaps once in 10 plus years, but does this really warrant having a whole drawer/cupboard dedicated to this rare unexpected occasion.

The thing is I buy things I would like and quite honestly I don't think they would last long in a gift drawer.

 

[candycane]

I heard Ali Keenan wittering on about giving Molton Brown to TEACHERS! I'd like to give an atom bomb to my old teachers, certainly not an expensive luxury item. Do people honestly give stuff like that to their kids' teachers?

CC

 

[thatu]

A lot of us skim the sales for presents throughout the year. No way will I be fleeced for overpriced tat pre-Christmas. And suggesting I buy it for my auntie/milkman/teacher/whoever just isn't going to do it for me. Get real, all of you presenters.

 

[maymorganlondon]

The pictures they paint of who we are shopping for are so divorced from normal everyday people's reality! In the circles of people you spend on teachers probably feature in the extreme outer edges, sorry if that offends any teachers here. I would say the true reward for a teacher is pupils who discover a love of learning. After that, a token made by the actual children, rather than from the parents.

Most of us have a budget we set for all the people we buy for at Christmas, no? Even your nearest and dearest that you spend the most on. The more people you have to buy for the stricter you have to be with the budget for gifts. If you're entertaining at home you've got the expense of all the food and drink... even giftwrapping can be an expensive business... then the cards and postage... If you're visiting friends, you've got things you buy as a thank you for having me. It all soon adds up, doesn't it? Even if you are able to be really disciplined, every retailer is competing for your hard-earned cash relentlessly.

 

[Brissles]

Like most, I pick up 'stuff' throughout the year - and just wandering around places like the Range & Dunelm gives me a few ideas.

A couple of my friends love their fruit teas, and earlier this year in the Range I picked up 2 wooden boxes with compartments, a clear lid and with TEA written on the side; price ? £4.99 each. I then sourced some individually wrapped fruit teas from the internet and partially filled up some of the compartment with various fruit teas. Value now of each pressy, less than a tenner, and something I know will be gratefully received.

I also purchased 5 Kipling handy zipped pouches for cosmetics/purse/medication etc from Vente-Privee at £6.45 each in various colours; and I bought 3 Saks tsv wrist bag from a few months ago for around a tenner each, so my pressies are almost sorted, without resorting to splitting up a Molton Brown pack that would still amount to almost £20 for one gift !

I don't know about other people, but I do get a lot of pressies from friends, and they are never more than a tenner, and my return gift is always under £12. Family I spend a bit more; but to hear the Presenters talk, we all need to have husbands who are City traders to afford the 'gifting' prices they want us to pay !

 

[Julie]

The pictures they paint of who we are shopping for are so divorced from normal everyday people's reality! In the circles of people you spend on teachers probably feature in the extreme outer edges, sorry if that offends any teachers here.

Funny enough I don't think it is the extreme outer edge of society who do this mad present buying, it is the opposite.

The school behind my house costs upwards of £32k a year (for boarders) to send your little darling to. Teachers get a very modest bunch of flowers, all exactly the same and no other presents other than hand made cards, not sure what the blokes get but it will be equally modest.

 

[Moth]

[mum writes]

All this business of a present drawer, in case someone drops round, I've been in the position of being the one dropping round, hearing someone say "we've not got a present for her" and then standing there embarrassed while someone hurriedly wrapped something in the kitchen. And this was my (so called) nearest and dearest family. To be honest, I'd have preferred nothing at all, it would have at least saved that embarrassment.

This whole Christmas event has been, IMO, so depressing and boring. Constant repeat showing of the same tired old products, the beauty shows were the same too. Expensive "fashion" that you can only really get away with wearing for a few days a year and now a whole day given over to food. Never mind if you happen to be a vegetarian viewer! I know we can't constantly compare our lives with others elsewhere in the world, but, to me, this is just a big show of how excessive and gluttonous we have become as a society. And I hate that the presenters will say literally anything the law lets them get away with just to make another sale, of most likely something that'll be given to someone who doesn't need, want or like it.

Not on a downer, just really don't like the out of hand commercialism. And, try as you might, you can't avoid it anywhere you go.

 

[Weathergirl]

My "present drawer" is used for gifts for people who would normally get one, my mum, my brothers, close friends etc. Never have I had to use it for a "random" person. But I use it throughout the year to put nice gifts together so I save money in December. When I also have 2 birthdays to cater for and as people usually come to ours for Christmas dinner, we pay for that too. And Turkey's to feed 12 ain't cheap. So "every little helps" (to coin a phrase).

 

[shopperholic]

QVC have the perfect scenario for every occasion, the Christmas one seems to be based on opulence, opulence and yet more opulence because first and foremost, it's all about the money.

 

[Silver Fox]

[mum writes]

All this business of a present drawer, in case someone drops round, I've been in the position of being the one dropping round, hearing someone say "we've not got a present for her" and then standing there embarrassed while someone hurriedly wrapped something in the kitchen. And this was my (so called) nearest and dearest family. To be honest, I'd have preferred nothing at all, it would have at least saved that embarrassment.

This whole Christmas event has been, IMO, so depressing and boring. Constant repeat showing of the same tired old products, the beauty shows were the same too. Expensive "fashion" that you can only really get away with wearing for a few days a year and now a whole day given over to food. Never mind if you happen to be a vegetarian viewer! I know we can't constantly compare our lives with others elsewhere in the world, but, to me, this is just a big show of how excessive and gluttonous we have become as a society. And I hate that the presenters will say literally anything the law lets them get away with just to make another sale, of most likely something that'll be given to someone who doesn't need, want or like it.

Not on a downer, just really don't like the out of hand commercialism. And, try as you might, you can't avoid it anywhere you go.

Couldn't agree more, don't you know when someone gives you a present because you have given them something.I feel like a miserable old grumpy because I don't subscribe to this Christmas over hype.So many people must spend money they can ill afford or could spend on better things.At least I am saving as I will not be watching Q while this Christmas madness goes on for the next 10 weeks?