To think park vouchers etc are a very dodgy way of saving for Christmas?

[Whoknowswhocares]

A few people have mentioned on here they plan to save for next year with one of these type of companies.

I think this is highly risky. Unlike savings in a bank, there is no safety net in place and if the company go bust, you will lose all your money. It happened to what was the biggest firm in the market only about 3-4 years ago. Most people who use these schemes are finding things tough already and cannot afford to lose their money. Please, please save your money in a bank, or even a sealed tin to break open next year

Unless iabu and the rules have changed. So am I?

Surely you could just set up a regular saver with the bank. A fixed one that it is hard to take the money out of unless you give notice. Then you would earn interest and come november could give notice to remove the money and spend it wherever you wanted.

I always thought that you got more vouchers back when you paid in to compensate for the fact that you have to spend them in certain shops.

Wish I'd come up with the idea - sounds like a great money making scheme. In fact, if anyone wants to give me their money I'll put it in my bank until November then give you the same amount back in m&s vouchers.

Zsazsa, your mum spends left over vouchers in the sales? You see I think many people with leftover vouchers would do this. I bet they feel its like Monopoly money - not real proper hard cash, "it's already paid for so I may as well use them" type of attitude. So they go out and buy a lot of tat in the sales simply because the vouchers are sitting there, I bet. When otherwise they might not. Perhaps

Sorry, but that made me laugh.

Sounded really silly.

If you would use those shops anyway, you are not being 'forced' to spend them anywhere

What happens if your vouchers get stolen or you lose them? Will they get replaced? If not then its the same as carrying hundreds of pounds in cash round with you, surely? Personally I would rather use a debit card during Xmas shopping time, for that reason.

ali you have a point re bargains as some toy sales are in sept/oct if you have paid for your vouchers you can ask for them early. Obviously getting them is no good if you need to shop outise of regular high street stores Argos, toys r us etc.

If you use cash in sales is still classed as 'tat'?

Curly, yes my mum spends vouchers in the sales on treats for herself and she deserves them.

I doubt any shop is actually "laughing" given that the Christmas build up was slower than last year with like for like being -2.2%. In fact, I am sure the shops would be more than happy to have shoppers in with vouchers spending money in the sales in order to keep the companies afloat.

As I have already said, you earn more commission from the likes of Park than you would earn in interest in a Bank a/c given the interest rates over the last few years.

All vouchers have serial numbers on them.

No risks with debit cards then, noooo no none.

Laugh away! . I am enjoying it too - pondering and musing about it all. Glad it had amused everyone!! I think both sides will have to agree to disagree as neither side will ever convince the other!!!

I'm beginning to regret starting this! It's turned into a bun fight!!!

Poor
Thick
Lacking in self control
Buyer of tat
Risky

All because the lady saves with Park.

but could you buy goats with the vouchers, even an ethical one?

If you use cash in sales is still classed as 'tat'?

This made me chuckle

I have typed in so many comments and deleted them because I'm struggling to think of anything civil to post.

You can save money in a bank. No shit? Thank fuck there are people posting this as I would never have realised.

Park is for poor people - does that mean there are poor people out there making plans for a reasonable Christmas? This must be stopped immediately.

Unspent vouchers will be frittered away in the sales.

Give me bloody strength.

Us thick stoopid poor people need to have someone to take our money off'f us so our kidz get a decent Xmas, cos overwize we'd only spend our benefits on scratchies and lager wunt we?

Whoknowswhocares but at least by starting it, we have ironed out a few facts and yes there are varying opinions but hey, that's life

Well, to be fair, most things in the sale ARE tat that no-one wanted enough to buy before Xmas OR have their prices inflated before Xmas to make consumers think they are getting a bargain at the reduced price after Xmas. Probably the only proper bargains are reduced Xmas crackers, cards and wrapping paper and the like.

But that is a whole other bunfight!

Bogeyface.

Yeah because no one spends 'real' cash on tat now do they? If that were true we'd have no discount stores. :o

im feeling quite uncomfortable with the way that people are using the term poor in a pejorative manner.

also there was mention of credit unions being well known for fraud - which is blatently untrue.

also there is a deliberate twisting of meanings to whip up yet more bun fighting which is rather odd.

I can see that one might not be as careful ( certainly would not have the amount of choice to buy the cheapest on offer) if you hae vouchers in your hand as if you have cash. now whilst that might not be personally true for some or all of the people on this thread, it is never the less a valid point

another valid point made was that of what if you need money in an emergency - surely savings is a better way to access money.

The whole "poor" thing just pissed me off.

Last Xmas we were doing very well thank you, we had finally recovered from being shit on from a great height by me ex husband financially, and were doing ok. I started the savings thing as I thought it would be good to have incase we had another disaster and to keep the Xmas money seperate. Also, on what I saved I was getting more commission from Park than I could in the bank.

Then, 1 month before this Xmas, my husband lost his job. We are now officially poor, we have more going out than we have coming in. Without my Park savings, we wouldnt have had a Xmas, end of. So no, poor people are not the only people that use it and thank fuck for that!!

Thank you, custardo! Only on mumsnet can you make a suggestion that PERHAPS some people MIGHT be tempted to behave/think in a certain way and then get people all arsey accusing you of stating that it is proven FACT that EVERY person in the world thinks that way for sure.

Oh know you don't curly I disagree entirely.

Some shops just overstock on certain lines.

What a person is prepared to pay for a product is entirely based on individuals perceptions of:

Need for a product (socks in my case and leather gloves)
Wants level of desire for a product,
Value and quality - what they think a product is worth to them and willingness to pay, so a reduction in price might trigger a purchase.
Planned purchases - got all ds teacher presents half price in Boots for end of year.