Are you a last minute Larry? Or do you start your Christmas shopping in the January sales and spread the cost throughout the whole year?

It seems the cost of living crisis is still somewhat dictating our shopping habits. As reported by Retail Gazette, UK shoppers are starting their Christmas shopping earlier this year to get the best deals and spread the cost. I expect more people will be looking to buy pre-loved items as well, whether driven by cost or environmental concerns (or both). I've also noticed that a lot of items (or at least the items on my son's wish-list) seem to be out of stock already.

But not all will be equally prepared, as the same article reveals that Saturday 23 December (sometimes known as Super Saturday) is predicted to be the busiest day of the year for the high street (it was the third busiest last year). And Black Friday hasn't even made it into the top five (although the Saturday after has).

This creates a dilemma for retailers - when is the best time to put on deals to attract the most customers? Some made the most of early shoppers, with late summer sales. But generally, it seems that sales will be popping up throughout this last quarter rather than being concentrated on one or two weekends.

And for those who read my last post (here), I did indeed manage to get the £70 lump of plastic significantly cheaper second hand and I am very pleased with myself. Here is hoping my son doesn't go off his current super hero obsession in the next two months (a worry I am sure my fellow early bird shoppers will understand)!