I'll confess. I am a bit of a snob. I am also a bit of a lazy mare so the only reason you might normally spot me in the sort of shops that sell active wear and jogging bottoms would be because the children need new trainers for PE. Or I'm looking for a toilet.
As a friend is fond of saying, if you see me out running, you probably want to pick up the pace yourself because you can be sure something scary is chasing me.
Having said that I have made frequent visits to our local Sports Direct store like many parents attracted by bargain prices on, well, just about everything actually.
In the past I've bought football boots and kit, swimming costumes, sandals, rugby mouth guards (obligatory for school but never actually worn by my not particularly sporty children) and even school shoes. I popped in there most recently to buy goggles and snorkel sets for our Cyprus holiday.
Still it never occurred to me to go gift shopping there and I've never thought to check out the online store until I was challenged by BritMums to find see if I could find fab gifts for £5 and under in the #sdfiverchallenge
I was intrigued and with 7 children to buy Christmas gifts for I was keen to see if I could find anything at all as, aged between 17-23, my older offspring are particularly difficult to buy stocking fillers for! Apparently bubbles and whoopee cushions are far less entertaining once puberty takes hold.
Well dear readers, let me tell you. I was blown away by what I found online. Literally hundreds of licenced and branded character products from all of my children's favourite genres at prices I could just not believe.
There were quirky T-shirts from loads of TV shows and films which you would pay well over £20 from comic book style stores - on SportsDirect.com they were under £5. For that price I thought they would be cheap but fun, good only for a few wears but now they have been delivered I can see they are great quality.
We have a few Adventure Time fans in the family and so I scooped up a couple of T-shirts for them. The one I chose for my 9-year-old cost under £3-that's less than a cup of coffee in town!
My 18-year-old is a Star Wars fan and I've been looking for a while for some merch for him but mostly I've been disappointed by the range in High Street stores. It's either garish, aimed at children or at home-owning adults. He is neither of these!
Just a few seconds into my browsing session on the SportsDirect website found me adding three Star Wars items into my basket. I'm particularly pleased with the T-shirt I bought for him, one of a selection of more subtly themed T's available.
My teenaged daughter is Marvel mad. She was peering over my shoulder as I shopped and beside herself with excitement at the selection of Marvel character products available. Normally she would have plumped for one of the many Batman themed items but when I told her she could only choose one T-shirt she went for the one with loads of Marvel characters on it. It will look really cool with her black skinny jeans and patent Dr Martens boots
Now I really want to tell you what I bought for my 22 year old who is particularly difficult to buy for. He has very specific tastes and actually hates people wasting money on what he considers token presents. Ask him what he wants and he'll say "Don't bother" but of course as a mum I want to treat him.
We are always on a tight budget so many of the things I know he would like I simply can't afford. So imagine my delight when I found the perfect gift for under £5 on the SportsDirect website!
Unfortunately I can't tell you what I bought in case he reads this and it spoils the surprise. But suffice it to say I was astounded that I found it at SportsDirect - I would have expected to have to go to Comicon for this type of thing. It proved to me that the store offers way more than cheap trainers and sports socks and in my view could rival some of the High Street's main players for choice this Christmas.
Intrigued? You have to go and check out the huge range of gifts under £5 for yourself. Want to pay more than £5? From dance wear to designer goodies you are sure to find something for everyone on your list - even Granny who might like some new slippers or maybe a cool city scooter like this one to get her to Bingo quicker?
I got a pile of pressies for under £25, the amount I would have expected to pay for just one of the T-shirts I bought. Everything you see in the picture below cost less than £5.
Delivery was just £4.99 and I was kept updated by email as to when my goodies would arrive with tracking available from the carrier Hermes. You can also choose to collect in store if that's easier.
If like me you have friends and family living abroad you will be pleased to know Sports Direct offer overseas shipping to places as far flung as Kenya or Korea. There's a handy chart showing where exactly they deliver to and at what cost.
Altogether my shopping sessions was very easy and enjoyable - no sweating in crowds of shoppers hoping to spot the perfect present without breaking the bank. All the information you might need about returns, size guides, delivery options, personalised items and gift cards is on the easy to navigate website. Simples!
So here it is - an apology to Sports Direct after demonstrating that even a sports-hating snob like me can be wowed by a well-stocked, competitively priced website offering a great selection of quality goods.
Disclaimer: “This post is an entry for BritMums #sdfiverchallenge Christmas Challenge, sponsored by Sportsdirect.com. ” I was given £30 to spend on the Sports Direct website for the purpose of this honest review.
As a friend is fond of saying, if you see me out running, you probably want to pick up the pace yourself because you can be sure something scary is chasing me.
Having said that I have made frequent visits to our local Sports Direct store like many parents attracted by bargain prices on, well, just about everything actually.
In the past I've bought football boots and kit, swimming costumes, sandals, rugby mouth guards (obligatory for school but never actually worn by my not particularly sporty children) and even school shoes. I popped in there most recently to buy goggles and snorkel sets for our Cyprus holiday.
Still it never occurred to me to go gift shopping there and I've never thought to check out the online store until I was challenged by BritMums to find see if I could find fab gifts for £5 and under in the #sdfiverchallenge
I was intrigued and with 7 children to buy Christmas gifts for I was keen to see if I could find anything at all as, aged between 17-23, my older offspring are particularly difficult to buy stocking fillers for! Apparently bubbles and whoopee cushions are far less entertaining once puberty takes hold.
Well dear readers, let me tell you. I was blown away by what I found online. Literally hundreds of licenced and branded character products from all of my children's favourite genres at prices I could just not believe.
There were quirky T-shirts from loads of TV shows and films which you would pay well over £20 from comic book style stores - on SportsDirect.com they were under £5. For that price I thought they would be cheap but fun, good only for a few wears but now they have been delivered I can see they are great quality.
We have a few Adventure Time fans in the family and so I scooped up a couple of T-shirts for them. The one I chose for my 9-year-old cost under £3-that's less than a cup of coffee in town!
My 18-year-old is a Star Wars fan and I've been looking for a while for some merch for him but mostly I've been disappointed by the range in High Street stores. It's either garish, aimed at children or at home-owning adults. He is neither of these!
Just a few seconds into my browsing session on the SportsDirect website found me adding three Star Wars items into my basket. I'm particularly pleased with the T-shirt I bought for him, one of a selection of more subtly themed T's available.
My teenaged daughter is Marvel mad. She was peering over my shoulder as I shopped and beside herself with excitement at the selection of Marvel character products available. Normally she would have plumped for one of the many Batman themed items but when I told her she could only choose one T-shirt she went for the one with loads of Marvel characters on it. It will look really cool with her black skinny jeans and patent Dr Martens boots
Now I really want to tell you what I bought for my 22 year old who is particularly difficult to buy for. He has very specific tastes and actually hates people wasting money on what he considers token presents. Ask him what he wants and he'll say "Don't bother" but of course as a mum I want to treat him.
We are always on a tight budget so many of the things I know he would like I simply can't afford. So imagine my delight when I found the perfect gift for under £5 on the SportsDirect website!
Unfortunately I can't tell you what I bought in case he reads this and it spoils the surprise. But suffice it to say I was astounded that I found it at SportsDirect - I would have expected to have to go to Comicon for this type of thing. It proved to me that the store offers way more than cheap trainers and sports socks and in my view could rival some of the High Street's main players for choice this Christmas.
Intrigued? You have to go and check out the huge range of gifts under £5 for yourself. Want to pay more than £5? From dance wear to designer goodies you are sure to find something for everyone on your list - even Granny who might like some new slippers or maybe a cool city scooter like this one to get her to Bingo quicker?
I got a pile of pressies for under £25, the amount I would have expected to pay for just one of the T-shirts I bought. Everything you see in the picture below cost less than £5.
Delivery was just £4.99 and I was kept updated by email as to when my goodies would arrive with tracking available from the carrier Hermes. You can also choose to collect in store if that's easier.
If like me you have friends and family living abroad you will be pleased to know Sports Direct offer overseas shipping to places as far flung as Kenya or Korea. There's a handy chart showing where exactly they deliver to and at what cost.
Altogether my shopping sessions was very easy and enjoyable - no sweating in crowds of shoppers hoping to spot the perfect present without breaking the bank. All the information you might need about returns, size guides, delivery options, personalised items and gift cards is on the easy to navigate website. Simples!
So here it is - an apology to Sports Direct after demonstrating that even a sports-hating snob like me can be wowed by a well-stocked, competitively priced website offering a great selection of quality goods.
SORRY
