Thursday 1 December 2016

Fforestfach Retail Parc Christmas Gift Challenge

I don't know about you but how crazy is your city's shopping centre already? I attempted to do some Christmas shopping in Cardiff recently and instead of it being a festive day out, it ended up being rather stressful and I came away with very little. I'm a very visual person so online shopping isn't an option for me that's why I was very pleased to be asked to join in with the #xmasGiftChallenge at Fforestfach Retail Parc.


The challenge was to find the perfect gift for 5 people on my christmas shopping list in 5 of the different stores at Fforestfach. I had a budget of £200. 

The Retail Parc features some of my fave retailers such as New Look, Boots, Marks and Spencer, River Island, H and M, Next, Clarks and other stores such as DW Sports, Homesense, Poundland, O2, and Carphone Warehouse. There are also a couple of coffee shops, Costa and Cafe Nero.  Therefore, there was a fab range of beauty, fashion, home and food to choose from. 



Fforestfach Retail Parc was very easy to find. We drove there, went straight into the carpark and found a space immediately. What I think is wonderful is that you can get 4 hours worth of free parking. It was a welcome relief from what I normally have to do in Cardiff which is queueing for a long time to get into a carpark and paying extortionate prices to go shopping. 

I decided to buy a gift for my mum, daughter, best friend, father in law and our dog. I couldn't leave him out. He always gets a gift from Santa so I thought i'd see if the retail parc really did have something for everyone. 

The first shop I headed to was Marks and Spencer to find something for my mum. My mum and immediate family emigrated to Australia 8 years ago but they are actually coming back to the UK for a holiday this Christmas. It'll be our first one together in 8 years. I decided to buy her a going out top. In Australia, it's summer and obviously it's winter here, so the seasons and fashion are different. I tried to find her something that she may be able to wear when she gets home. I found her a lovely festive top which is quite thin so hopefully she will get some use out of it in the future.



I also found her a gorgeous bubble bath. The bottle is so striking. There were a few different colours to choose from. I'm hoping someone will get me one too as I think it'll look lovely in the bathroom.




Next up I went to H&M to find something for my daughter. I quite often buy clothes there for both of my girls so I thought it would be the ideal place to get something for my eldest Eva. She adores anything to do with Disney. I managed to find her an Elsa (from Frozen) gymnastics leotard tutu (for her to wear to her class) and the matching gloves for dressing up. I also found her Lightning McQueen slippers. She is going to love them. H&M is a great place to look for Disney clothes and items as they are a fraction of the price than at other stores.

I also bought her a new jumper. She's lacking in winter clothing since having a huge growth spurt.

I then headed to Next to find something for my father in law. I wanted to get him a new shirt. The Next store is actually an outlet store so everything is really cheap. There was quite a lot I could have bought him from there but in the end I settled on a casual shirt and t-shirt.




Then it was time to pop my feet up and have a much needed rest in CostaSeeing as I was in the festive spirit I decided to try the honeycomb latte from their christmas range along with a cake. It was definitely the pick me up I needed.





Next it was time to find something for my best friend. We both have similar tastes and adore fashion so I headed to New Look in search of the perfect gift. I came across a gorgeous pair of black shoes. She will love them. They are a great wardrobe staple with a little twist.





Last up it was time to find something for the dog, Alfie. I decided a new bed would be a wonderful Christmas treat for him. After browsing around all of the wonderful things that were in Homesense, the decorations, the stationary, the food etc, I found the pet section. There stood the cutest dog bed i'd ever seen. It was a teepee and I had to have it. 





Overall, I had a really successful shopping trip. I managed to buy gifts for 5 different people in 5 different shops. I spent under the budget of £200 with the total being £166.14 which means I have money to spare to return and buy something for someone else. 




I really enjoyed shopping at Fforestfach Retail Parc. It's convenient, stress-free shopping with plenty of variety on offer. I loved the fact that I didn't have to carry my bags throughout the whole trip as I could pop them in the boot of my car.

If you fancy enjoying a shopping trip to Fforestfach Retail Parc then head over to their facebook page as they are giving one lucky winner £200 to spend there. https://www.facebook.com/fforestfachretailparc



SHARE:

21 comments

  1. Oh I used to pass/pop in to Fforestfach Retail Park a lot when in Swansea. :D
    A Costa break is always a good idea - not had their Christmas range yet this year!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh this sounds so much fun! You got some lovely presents xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. I find Christmas shopping pretty stressful too! This looks great - must check it out soon!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I must admit, I do a lot of my shopping online. Can be a nightmare missing parcels but makes it less stressful for me! x

    ReplyDelete
  5. This sounds like a great challenge! Great you came in under too

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love Fforestfach but haven't shopped there for ages. I must go there soon. Love all your selections - some great gift choices :) Kaz x

    ReplyDelete
  7. You did amazingly well with your budget and managed to get an awful lot of things with it x

    ReplyDelete
  8. It is great that you get 4 hours of free parking and even better that it was so easy to find. It sounds brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  9. That sounds like a fun challenge......off to H&M to see if they have those Lightening McQueen slippers - Sebby is cars mad

    ReplyDelete
  10. This challenge sounds such fun. Some great purchases for your budget

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a lovely challenge. I am sure you had an amazing time.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I always prefer going to the retail parks at this time of year, I think it's a lot easier to get presents sorted. You found some lovely things

    ReplyDelete
  13. A shopping challenge sounds awesome. Love the items you chose and I'm sure they will make your family and friends very happy and especially Alfie :) xx

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a great challenge, you found some lovely gifts! x

    ReplyDelete
  15. I haven't started my Christmas shopping yet...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ahh that great little pet bed! You got some lovely pieces for presents, well done!

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a fab place. My friends dowm west tell me that fforest fach has a wide selection of shops and products and youve.just proved it. Sounds like a great place to visit

    ReplyDelete
  18. You picked up some really great items and not a bad price overall either!

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a fab challenge! I really struggle to choose gifts for other people, I always worry that I'll choose something they won't like. I've just had to do a secret santa and really struggled with ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  20. That challenge was such good idea, you got some really nice stuff in very good prices.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Sounds like a lovely place to enjoy Christmas shopping. I can't stand the chaos that comes with a huge shopping centre at Christmas. Some lovely gifts and I've definitely entered the comp! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your family xx

    ReplyDelete

Blogger Template Created by pipdig