[Ruffian]

Gerry Harvey is gabbling about spending patterns again, which got me thinking about what people are actually buying for Xmas this year.

Here in SA sales moved very slowly up until yesterday, but now are people are in the shops in droves. However they seem to be mostly buying food, rather than giftish things.

That certainly reflects the pattern in my household, where money this year seems to be going on a moderately lavish spread for family and friends, a moderate number of gifts for the kids and charitable donation cards (Fred Hollows Foundation) for various adults.

A fairly high proportion of the actual physical gifts were bought on-line, and all of those were from OS due to better prices & wider choice.

There hasn't been a frantic spending on junk, and no apparent peer pressure to do so.
It is also noticable that there doesn't seem to be a 'must have' item amongst the kids this year either.
There is a generally reported enthusiasm for ipads in the media, but most people I know have already got this out of their system (if they are going to at all).

In summary - a reduced spend, of which a fair bit is on food & liquor, with a significant proportion of the rest going offshore.

What patterns are other people seeing?

[tor]

We sucked at christmas this year. The girlfriend bought a few things for her family but we didn't get each other anything. I spent 20 or 30 bucks on a poster and some bits and pieces for a secret santa thing.

We both sort of felt we have all the stuff we want and couldn't think of anything the other would like.

So 20 odd K last year down to about $500 this year.

[Ruffian]

tor, on 23 December 2011 - 05:33 AM, said:

We sucked at christmas this year. The girlfriend bought a few things for her family but we didn't get each other anything. I spent 20 or 30 bucks on a poster and some bits and pieces for a secret santa thing.

We both sort of felt we have all the stuff we want and couldn't think of anything the other would like.

So 20 odd K last year down to about $500 this year.

So definitely spent less this year, then?!

Probably helps not having kids, too...

[tor]

Ruffian, on 23 December 2011 - 05:40 AM, said:

So definitely spent less this year, then?!

Probably helps not having kids, too...

Not sure. Most of my presents are ones I have made myself to a degree. So like the secret santa is a poster of schwarzenneger with the cigar and face camo for a gym type dude that happens to have an online name of wazza and I printed out wazza in the same font and taped it over it and then included a cigar and some boot polish (he already has a black singlet). He is the wazzarzenegger now.

I like making presents like that, even the really expensive gift last year was the set of gift vouchers for Tiffany's and I think it was the voucher aspect that meant a lot (obviously the vouchers being redeemed carried a lot of weight too).

I am pretty sure that, if I had kids, they would be used to my insanity and expect gifts which were not so much about the "cool things to have" and more about me getting a chance to have fun and show some knowledge of the receiver.

The downside to this theory is that the reason I don't buy "cool things to have" for christmas is that I just buy them when I want them which may not actually work with kids. Attention span of gnats I believe.

[steveno]

Ruffian, on 23 December 2011 - 05:17 AM, said:

A fairly high proportion of the actual physical gifts were bought on-line, and all of those were from OS due to better prices & wider choice.

Exactly what happened here, my well organised partner had a wish list on amazon which had gifts for our kids and all the nieces and nephews (18). With fluctuating exchange rate we pulled the trigger about six weeks ago and spent about A$15 per present for items that are retailing in the $30 - 60 range if you can find them here. We spent $350 on line so probably saved close to $500. The thing is we wern't that worried about price, the on line shopping gave a better choice of gifts and the saving was a bonus. Most larger retailers have the same stuff and the few that have a different or original range are very expensive (for kids stuff).

Of course I'm not that well organised and have very limited judgement when shopping so I bought present's for my wife in the last few days at boutique retailers and bookshops in trendy inner suburbs of Melbourne, I think I used most of the on line savings so it was a net neutral outcome for my family's spending. At least none went to Gerry .

[Mr Medved]

tor, on 23 December 2011 - 05:33 AM, said:

We both sort of felt we have all the stuff we want and couldn't think of anything the other would like.

So you already have that twelve thousand dollar coffee machine?

I don't buy gifts (except for children - they're getting magic pens) but will be getting food for the family lunch. I really don't like giving or receiving gifts for a number of reasons so try not to participate.

[Mr Medved]

steveno, on 23 December 2011 - 07:05 AM, said:

At least none went to Gerry .

Oldies but goodies:

http://www.vexnews.c...g-through-them/
http://www.vexnews.c...ensland-drowns/

[Easy Tiger]

Early this year I gained an older sister, a brother-in-law and three nieces. This Christmas has shaped up to be, by my standards, quite expensive


I did buy myself an action camera to tape infractions as I ride my treadly. A contour HD. Sourced it through Amazon (in a round-about way) landed for half the price in Australia. Seriously - sort out the Aussie dollars exchange rate this is getting embarrassing for Aussie retailers

[staringclown]

I'm boycotting Gerry Harvey. And Mac One and quite a number of other retailers come to that... The list is growing. Every time I get bad service I make a mental note.

Have had to work up until this morning so haven't bought anything yet. I gave the iPad I got for my birthday to Ms Clown. I prefer my laptop.

I did buy a couple of life jackets from BCF this afternoon. (Good service too! ) Probably send my folks cash tonight. Probably spend around $200 on food and $400 on booze.

We don't wait for Xmas if I want something usually. But it's not that often I really want anything. Apart from food of course.

[Easy Tiger]

staringclown, on 23 December 2011 - 07:38 AM, said:

I'm boycotting Gerry Harvey. And Mac One and quite a number of other retailers come to that... The list is growing. Every time I get bad service I make a mental note.

I do the exact same thing. I hasten to add though that I’m very forgiving of extraneous circumstances. If the staff are getting hammered I’m very cool about it. Customer service is a hard job that pays very poorly. I’m not wanting to toot my own trumpet but I have a good eye for when the proverbial p155 is being taken though. Case in point. Qld Rail charged me premium prices for third world service. I told them so and ended up in an argument with QR staff and my wife (way to have my back ). I’m no dummy though, I made sure I was on the other side of the gates on public property before I mouthed off. Sorry, I have no time for poor service, especially from tax payer funded public servants. Well maybe Cops because they have guns and batons and stuff

[AndersB]

Our family (with now adult children) decided to be really fair and generous this Christmas and we would give each other $10,000.

We then figured out that this would net out to $0 for all of us.

So in addition to this mutual generosity we decided to buy just one gift for less than $50 that we could all share. This means it will mainly be alcohol and chocolates and stuff.

In total for a family of five we will spend less than $250.

[Ruffian]

AndersB, on 23 December 2011 - 08:36 AM, said:

Our family (with now adult children) decided to be really fair and generous this Christmas and we would give each other $10,000.

We then figured out that this would net out to $0 for all of us.

So in addition to this mutual generosity we decided to buy just one gift for less than $50 that we could all share. This means it will mainly be alcohol and chocolates and stuff.

In total for a family of five we will spend less than $250.

Astute use of sound logic, with a strategically acceptable result...

[staringclown]

Easy Tiger, on 23 December 2011 - 08:10 AM, said:

I do the exact same thing. I hasten to add though that I’m very forgiving of extraneous circumstances. If the staff are getting hammered I’m very cool about it. Customer service is a hard job that pays very poorly. I’m not wanting to toot my own trumpet but I have a good eye for when the proverbial p155 is being taken though. Case in point. Qld Rail charged me premium prices for third world service. I told them so and ended up in an argument with QR staff and my wife (way to have my back ). I’m no dummy though, I made sure I was on the other side of the gates on public property before I mouthed off. Sorry, I have no time for poor service, especially from tax payer funded public servants. Well maybe Cops because they have guns and batons and stuff

Good on you for speaking up. I have made the odd scene (Mac one was a memorable one but they were asking me to do their job for them - drive my computer across town cos they no longer provided the repair 'service" from their city store even though it was the point of sale! Man I tore that guy a new one. )

I'm not one for the "don't you know who I am" rhetoric either. I just like to see staff making an effort and knowing their jobs. Lord knows that's what is expected of me in my job. If they are new (and polite) they're forgiven. If it is flat out, having been in the same situation can empathise/sympathise.

I've done some absolute sh*t work at various times but I always tried to do them well. I am an absolute gun at a paper folding machines and an enveloper. I clean toilets like a madman. I can wash, pick and package bean sprouts as fast as any man alive. I can tie and dye two thousand shirts a day. Often in these jobs the only challenge is to try and do them ever faster.

Edit: dye

[tor]

AndersB, on 23 December 2011 - 08:36 AM, said:

In total for a family of five we will spend less than $250.

Excellent so one bottle of exorbitantly expensive booze and sit around talking crap.

My kind of party.

I always love the statement party, "we spent way way too much on this one thing which we would never have in our lives if we had a brain but there are more than one of us so we will do it and always be able to think we did that stupid thing"

It is the sitting around talking crap that is really the worth of the party but the stupid bottle makes it stick as a point.

[Mr Medved]

staringclown, on 23 December 2011 - 08:57 AM, said:

I clean toilets like a madman. I can wash, pick and package bean sprouts as fast as any man alive.

I hope not at the same time...


Reminds me of an experience a couple of months ago. I happened to be in the Magistrates' Court to support a friend and walked in just as an earlier case had started. A couple had been pinged by the clean police for having a dirty cafe... even mention of a dead rat in the kitchen. The frightening thing was that the cafe was in my local shopping strip but I have no idea which one!

[staringclown]

Mr Medved, on 23 December 2011 - 09:28 AM, said:

I hope not at the same time...


Reminds me of an experience a couple of months ago. I happened to be in the Magistrates' Court to support a friend and walked in just as an earlier case had started. A couple had been pinged by the clean police for having a dirty cafe... even mention of a dead rat in the kitchen. The frightening thing was that the cafe was in my local shopping strip but I have no idea which one!

Russian roulette then.

Actually I think they publish a name and shame list on the relevant government web site periodically. Probably won't help you in the interim period though but you could probably make enquiries. On the bright side the recently pinged cafe is probably the cleanest in the area now at least for a while.

[savagegoose]

i dont drink or eat chocs. so sounds like a total rip

[staringclown]

savagegoose, on 23 December 2011 - 10:23 AM, said:

i dont drink or eat chocs. so sounds like a total rip

There must be some indulgence that the Xmas excuse lets you partake SG?

[ummester]

I feel bad

spent quite a bit this Xee-mass.

Son younger is getting a whole flash piano and a 3DS and a couple of games - more than 4k in total (3k came form his savings account and, as he is becoming an impressive muscisan, why not spend on that?).
Son older gets a tele and new trendy shoes, some cash and some other stuff - around 700 in total.
the Mrs gets a flash heart rate monitor and some other stuff - 250 or so.

I put away 50-100 PFN for it - have been orgainsing my cash since I started posting here and most stuff, bar the piano, was covered by savings.
yea, I'm a softy that spoils my family but f*ck it, if you can't then waht is the point of trying to earn more at work, eh?

[zaph]

what i always spend every year, around fifty bucks each on 5 people. Gerry's getting nothing - unless he owns the good guys and i don't know it.