Last year around this time I wrote about the number of stores that were having pre-Christmas sales, well this year the situation seems even worse. Up at the crack of dawn today to take Nathalie Christmas shopping in Southampton.
The first thing that you notice when entering the Enormodome of Retail Therapy, okay it's really called West Quay, is that Benetton have 50% off all stock, next door to them is GAP which has 30% off, Sports World has up to 70%, I searched in vain for the shop that had 100% off. Quality Seconds has a buy one get three free offer, Boots has 3 for 2, BHS has 50% off for today. HMV used to be the most expensive record/CD/DVD shop on the High Street but even they couldn't compete with Amazon and Play.com and they have reduced all their stock, Zavvi (used to be Virgin) doesn't have a CD in the shop over £15 and the days when buying a World Cinema DVD meant mortgaging your wife have long gone.
The other thing I couldn't help noticing is that nearly everybody in front of me at the tills was paying by card. Now they could have been debit cards, bank cards or in-store cards but you can bet your last mince pie that a lot of people are going to be racking up huge credit card bills. We had a letter at work recently about an ex-client who was being taken to court by one of his creditors. The ex-client owes more than £40,000 on credit cards and given his level of income over the years we acted for him I can't understand how he got the credit in the first place. I actually got a credit card once on the basis that my annual income was £3! The application page froze and I couldn't use either the back or refresh button, nevertheless I still got my card!
I've completed most of my Christmas shopping now and I'm just waiting to see if there are any bargains in the January sales. Having promised myself for the best part of twenty five years that one year I would save enough cash to be able to buy something in the sales that I really wouldn't be able to justify to myself the rest of the year I can. It's sad I know but having spent so much of my adult life with very little in the way of 'spare' cash I have trouble parting with it - must be the accountant in me!
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Tomorrow we are hitting Sunderland City Centre for the final sortie in the shops. After that it'll just be the annual ordeal of writing Christmas cards which I really hate. Call me "Scrooge", if you like, but there seems to be an increasing number of things I dislike about the so-called festive season. It must be an age thing.
Last year I left writing the Christmas cards until the last possible day. To be honest I wasn't going to give any out at work because so many people had pissed me off in 2006 but Janis persuaded me otherwise.
Best of luck with the shopping!
The Christams card thing I gave up years ago. When with the family we used to send hundreds...literally...and it became a chore and finally something I hated...since being divorced I have not sent a single card. I've lost no friends and I've gained no nasty (or even sacrky) comments...and saved a mint in time and stamps! although the money wasn't ever the problem
I also steadfastly refuse to read the reams of tosh that people print off telling of their family, pets and adventures over the last year with such highlights as "summer found us clearing the shed" and "great aunt doodah's cat went to the vet" blah blah blah...grrrrrrrrrrrrr
P.S. Know West Quay well!...many visits to Soton General Hosp with little Katie saw us whiling away the hours in the Mall...a modern pastime we all indulge in.
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