Cookware leads local gifts stakes

BY CLAIRE CONNELL

A trend towards home baking and cooking has seen cake tins, pans, whisks and even blow torches headed for a spot under the Christmas tree this year as popular gifts.

Alyssums & Balloons owner Cheryl Greer had noticed a large increase in the number of kitchenware items being sold for Christmas presents.

Good-quality knives and whisks, and blow torches for creme brulee frosting were all popular items to give this year, she said.

The recession had an impact, as did an increase in television cooking shows, she said.

"They see something being done [on television] and think `I can do that'."

The Warehouse Blenheim store manager Ian Daubney agreed homeware had been hugely popular in his store this year.

Cake tins and other baking items were flying out the door as people opted for the cheaper option of entertaining from home and making food rather than buying it, he said.

However, it was their biggest year on record for electronic and entertainment items sales, including the ever popular iPods and cellphones, the Modern Warfare 2 game, and Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle's debut album.

"When I was a kid, it was Barbies, but now young people are growing up in a computer era," said service team leader Sandy Brockhurst.

Shoppers were more price-conscious and aware of specials, and were planning and budgeting more than in previous years, she said.

Traditional toys such as Lego, trampolines, swing and slide sets, water-related gear and fishing and camping equipment were still popular, as was clothing.

Blenheim Bookworld owner Peter Scott agreed and said the introduction of the electronic book had been a popular option for some customers, but he had not noticed a downturn in regular book sales as a result.

The most popular children's book this year was the non-fiction Ben & Mark: Boys of the High Country by Christine Fernyhough and John Bougen, about the lives of children Ben and Mark Smith who live on a station in the South Island, he said.

SHOPPING TIPS

* Have a list of who you need to buy for and what their interests are.

* Don't limit yourself to one big present, opt for lots of smaller ones.

* Presents don't have to be expensive, it's the thought that counts.

* Buy people items you would like to receive.

* Shop around to get a good idea of what is on the market.

* Ask friends or family members what suitable presents might be.

* Pool money together with other family members to buy presents.

- The Marlborough Express