Santa gets smart
No excuse to get it wrong with gadgets topping adults’ wish lists
SANTA should not worry about his reindeer suffering fatigue or getting lost on his mammoth delivery run on Saturday night – his sleigh is going to be jam-packed with gadgets and gizmos.
Drones and smartphones will help him out of any sticky situation – and he will have plenty of those on board, judging by gift wishlists in Nelson Mandela Bay.
With the festive season in full swing and Christmas just four days away, The Herald visited some of the city’s malls to identify the latest gift crazes.
Gadgets ranging from smartwatches to accessories and add-ons remain at the top of the adults’ gift list while youngsters are pinning their hopes on the i-Play Flying Ball, Hotwheels track play set and the Jump-o-Lene inflatable bouncer, among others.
Game store marketing manager Elisabeth Ric Hansen said: “Drones are continuing to trend, while tablets are declining somewhat compared with prior years as wanted gifts.
“This is likely due to the larger smartphones becoming the one device customers are using for everything.” Karaoke machines were doing well for “teenyboppers and tweens”.
Some people have added a few unusual toys to their list for Santa, like waterproof headphones – used either in the shower or underwater – which have sold out at Typo.
Typo sales assistant Ruth Jali said the in-shower headphones continued to be a craze among young adults. “We are sold out.” Francois Steenekamp, PnA owner at Baywest Mall, said while colouring books for adults were not doing as well as in past years, his Parker pens were selling like hot cakes – despite a price tag of up to R4 000.
“These are my babies and they are my best-seller. I have other pens and they are also popular – but the Parkers are by far my best. ”
A Le Creuset employee at Walmer Park Shopping Centre, who did not want to be named, said the festive season never disappointed with the number of gift sets people bought.
“Our most popular items are the mug and oven dish sets which do increasingly well during this time of year, but since it is also wedding season, I think that adds to our festive season spike in sales,” she said.
Explaining a boost in sales at Cardies at Walmer Park, store manager Samantha Brouwer said people tended to do their last-minute shopping there.
“A lot of people do a quick dash into the store to find a personalised gift, with our most popular item being the Willow Tree collection.
“Every piece has a meaning and these items pick up around Christmas.”
Shop assistants at Greenacres centre said people could also expect small boxes with their names on them under the tree – but, according to a Sterns shop assistant who did not want to be named, those boxes would not contain jewellery.
“A lot of the customers who have come into our store are not buying jewellery for their loved ones – instead they’re purchasing cellphones,” she said.
CUM bookshop assistant Bev Whittaker said contrary to popular belief, books were the least favourite items in-store – while their mugs with the words “Peace”, “Joy” and “Love” inscribed on them were a customer favourite.
“Individuals look for personal gifts such as diaries and mugs, which work really well for corporate gifts too.”
Drones are continuing to trend while tablets are declining