Stores brace for rush of Christmas gift hunters

Just weeks from Christmas, Wairarapa parents are counting on a fine summer with outdoor toys among the most popular buys.

Trampolines and outdoor play sets have grown in popularity this year, says Toyworld Masterton owner Marie-Therese Evans.

While consumer confidence was relatively low, shoppers were beginning to get into the festive spirit, she said.

"It's certainly started," Ms Evans said. "It's been a little bit later than normal."

Christmas shoppers began stocking up gradually over the past few weeks, but it was expected that the real rush would begin today, the first day of December.

"I think people are certainly a lot more aware of the pricing and they seemed to have cut back," Ms Evans said.

So far furry Furby pets have been Toyworld Masterton's most popular toys. Lego remained the number one toy for boys, she said.

New items selling well this year were the Twister Dance and Bop It games.

In the past 45 days Wairarapa online toy buyers have favoured new metal toys and dolls, Trade Me statistics indicate.

Nationally Lego and building toys were the most popular new-toy purchases on the website, followed by radio-control vehicles and ride-on toys.

But action figures are uncool with locals - the slowest-selling toys for Wairarapa Trade Me users.

Spokesman Paul Ford said more than one million new items were listed for sale at the moment: "[It's] definitely not just a garage sale any more."

New trampoline purchases had clocked up the highest sales-value figures in the past 45 days.

Mr Ford said South Islanders had been more generous with their Christmas purchases, spending slightly more on average than their North Island counterparts.

Women, especially mums, had bought a lot of Lego and building toys, dolls and metal toys.

Radio-control vehicle toys, models and metal toys were popular purchases for men.

Among gifts for grown-ups, Manchester and towels were selling well, said Lee Allen, manager of Briscoes on Dixon St, Masterton.

"A lot of our bright, summer dinner sets and cutlery sets are also selling really well, while our electrical stuff is very popular."

Mitre 10 sales spokesman John Hunter said outdoor gifts were proving attractive to Wairarapa shoppers as the weather improved.

"The renovation multitool, which sands, cuts and scrapes, is in high demand, as are the barbecues and garden furniture."

2012 top gifts

• 
  Radio-control vehicle toys
• 
  Metal toys
• 
  Valerie: The Autobiography
• 
  Richie McCaw: The Open Side
• 
  NZ Story book: Read Me Another One Please