Answer Truthfully...

Larbre34

Its a very tough year, where the cost of living is rising beyond wage inflation.

Why should anyone be coy about saying they looked for good value, wherever it may be?

However, one good thing that definitely benefitted smaller and indigenous retailers, was the closure of Argos.

I know of a good few small hardware and toys and games stores that saw an uptick, in their absence.

eightieschewbaccy

Christmas presents all came from local stuff. Physical books I generally buy in independent stores. But then there's the Kindle stuff too, just cause I read a lot and I don't have the space for the amount I read. Listen to a lot of vinyl too and they come from a local store.

CelticRambler

I gave up on this whole buying presents at Christmas scam years ago. Nowadays, I put more effort (and money) into buying things for people's birthdays, or spontaneous no-date-necessary gifts. This year, I bought one thing for my second son from a Ukrainian manufacturer via a GB distributor because the only equivalent was a (more expensive) US product through the same distributor. The other gift was for my god-daughter, which I made myself. Son got his gift in October, god-daughter got hers at the end of November.

In any case, I rarely order from Amazon any more because they've annoyed me no end with repeatedly splitting a single order into several deliveries, and sending the individual items in waaaaay oversized packaging. Instead, I order from AliExpress, who reliably combine dozens of items from different sellers into a single tightly packed parcel, and their unbranded stuff is generally a fifth of the cheapest price on Amazon. And no, I have no qualms about buying from China, seeing as most of the stuff I might buy in a local shop comes from there anyway.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121533267#Comment_121533267

Was it any good?

I think I buy 2 things a year from Amazon and that's most of my online spend.

walshb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058328229/answer-truthfully

Just shopped, with no notions of who got my cash!!!

Mr Disco

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058328229/answer-truthfully

No though I do favour masturbatory alignment

Princess Calla

Don't buy off Amazon.

While I bought 99.9 % online (bar groceries) they are all brick n mortar shops.

Smyth's for majority of toys. They are extremely competitive price wise and super efficient.

Then Easons had great black friday deals.

Then the Lego store.

Dunnes and ALDI get my grocery custom. If Tesco has a good clubcard offer I will make the trip.

Local butcher got the ham and turkey order.

Jack Daw

I bought everything on line, some most from Amazon and some from boots.

Problem with buying local or from indepenent stores is 90% of the time they don't have what you want.

Even when I look for books on Easons (which should have a great selection) most of the time they only have new releases or really big sellers so if you want anything at all non-mainstream or not a recently published book you won't get it with them.

magicbastarder

i've never bought anything from amazon, except one time my niece needed to buy her dad a present and didn't want to ask to use his card.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121533575#Comment_121533575

and a lot of these fairs in the RDS charge a pretty penny (i've heard rumours of four figures) to the stallholders.

we did really well getting stuff this year at the christmas craft fair in the botanic gardens - it's free in, and the fee to stallholders is just nominal. so there's less pressure on them to up their prices too. we spent two or three hundred euro.

thinkabouit

Bought 100% everything local, always thinking of the bigger picture.

Wanderer2010

Nope. I tried to support local twice this year and they made a complete balls of what I was looking for. Local shouldnt mean incompetent

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121535148#Comment_121535148

Yep, and even at that you'll get a poky stall down in the corner.

Night owl gal

Last year I brought everything online (mostly from amazon)

This year I brought everything local. Nearly did buy something online but it didn't work out

I have gotten quite independent, I did some of my shopping in Kilkenny and Waterford this year, never would have attempted to do that in previous years😁