Have you done your Christmas shopping yet?
Are you one of the 5% of the UK population who has completed their entire Christmas shopping in JANUARY?
Don’t worry, I haven’t completely lost my marbles – my answer to that question would be a strong and resounding NO!
When it comes to Christmas shopping, there appears to be four camps of people in the UK.
- The Bargain Hunters
- The Ready Prepared
- The Reluctant Accepters
- The Last Minute Rushers
What2Buy4Kids found that the majority of us (53%) do our Christmas shopping in November – a sensible time for securing special festive deals, checking out the new releases and ensuring that there are no last minute changes of heart from your little ones.
There are also those who like to be prepared, and start their shopping just that little bit earlier – with 22% of us starting our Christmas shopping whilst the pumpkins and Halloween outfits are still dominating most of the shelves.
The Rest? A huge 20% of us leave all of our Christmas shopping till the last minute, whether that be a mad dash to the shops on Christmas Eve, or keeping a close eye on the last order dates online to make sure we get those parcels safely under the tree before the postal system grinds to a halt!
What2Buy4Kids also found that UK parents spend the most on toys for their kids throughout the year, with an average spend of $438 – the equivalent of around £330. This is a huge amount compared to other European countries with Spain and Italy spending less than half this amount.
In our house, I am a combination of a few of these types of shopper. I buy the odd item in the January sale and put it away, however the majority of my presents are bought as soon as we have said goodbye to Halloween and Bonfire Night, my two favourite events in Autumn.
We tend to follow the concept of the four gift rule from Father Christmas – Something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read.
To make your Christmas shopping just that little bit easier, What2Buy4Kids have made their website super easy for even the most clueless of shoppers. Don’t worry about reading up on whats hot and whats not, simply search by age (and gender if you wish), to be provided with a wealth of suggestions that you can be confident are age appropriate.
Neve loves wooden toys, and I love their range of Le Toy Van toys – with jigsaws and shape sorters being a huge hit for inquisitive little hands.
You can see the full range of toys, games and accessories available on the What2Buy4Kids website.
*This is a collaborative post*
I start My Christmas shopping in November but finish about a week before Christmas. I usually hate crowds but love Christmas shopping, it’s all part of the big occasion for me!
I don’t know what type of shopper I am. I buy all year long as I see stuff. Not intentionally even, just when I see the “perfect thing” for someone on my list. #HumpDayLinky
I’ve already started……I usually slowly but surely get a few bits here and there when I see them throughout the year and keep them for CHristmas. Then from about end October / early November, I take a look and what we have and then get the rest! #HumpDayLinky
I like to be prepared and not poor in December so I start buying things as soon as I see them but tend to start in September and ramp up around now. I would say I’m about 50% done x
I sort of pick things up as I go along. If I see something in the sale in March, I’ll buy it and stash it away for Christmas. Of course, in November, you do get all the good deals but I do get a bit panicky that I’ve left it so long. #HumpDayLinky
I’m a last minute Christmas shopper and I hate it! I’ve tried to get a head start this year and already ticked a few things off the list. Last year I finished the majority of my Christmas shopping in one day, then went into labour the next so def cut it a bit fine!
Hi, I love the stats that you have showed, I try to start early where possible and when I see a deal #humpdaylinky
I normally buy everything way ahead as enjoy figuring out what to get, or if I come across a suitable present in August – I just buy it and keep hiding it till Christmas. #humpdaylinky
I am fairly last minute but I do keep an eye out from the Summer onwards. Kaz x
I start will all good intentions but definitely end as a last minute shopper #humpdaylinky
I’m definitely in the group that waits until the very last minute to buy gifts. I tell myself I’m going to start early, but every year I’m shopping 2 weeks before Christmas!
I’ve bought 2 stocking fillers so far & that’s it- I purposely don’t think about Christmas until after Little B’s birthday which is next week #humpdaylinky