Festive Fashion Tips

This week, Greg is getting into the festive spirit by wearing a very fetching leopard-print Santa hat! Our cameraman Rob advised him that the usual white design will blend too much with the white background, hence the funky alternative. If you hadn’t already guessed, Greg’s here to talk about Christmas!

Now, if you’re anything like Greg then you won’t have even thought about your Christmas shopping yet. However, now is definitely the time to start thinking about buying your Christmas stock! You should do this sooner rather than later, but he will get to that in just a second.

Balloon Market Christmas – The Sequel

Before all that, Greg wants to let you know what’s been happening here at Balloon Market. Our second Christmas video is in production right now, and the whole team is very excited for you to see it. Last year’s effort was a lot of fun, but we wish we’d been able to get it out earlier than the 23rd December! To see it, check out our Youtube channel (and perhaps subscribe while you’re there? It only takes one click!). We also have a brilliant 100th show lined up, which includes a very special guest. That’s all Greg’s revealing for now, so make sure to stay tuned!

‘Tis The Season

Back to the subject of Christmas stock- and we have lots! We have some staple Christmas foil balloons that always look great with festive decorations, for example the 20 inch Festive Green Star Balloon and the 18 inch Snowflakes Sparkles Red Balloon. Both designs are available in a range of different colours, so take your pick! We also have plenty of new Qualatex designs, including the 18 inch Christmas Santa and Christmas Tree Patterns foils. For some quirkier decorations, we have the Santa Junior Shape and Christmas Trees & Lights Orbz new in from Amscan.

Balloons aside, we also stock the Christmas Paper Chain which will look great at any Christmassy event, and the brilliant Ho Ho Ho Photo Booth Props. Greg used these at home last year on Christmas day, to hilarious results! Highly recommended stock for families. If you didn’t see it mentioned a few shows ago, the Christmas Letter Banner is also very popular and selling fast! Finally, make sure that you don’t forget about New Year; products such as the New Year’s Eve Block Party Napkins are sure to add an elegant touch to parties and gatherings.

Get Your Stock Sooner Rather Than Later

You can see that we have a lot of great stock, but why should you get it in so quickly? Greg’s first reason is that some manufacturers are already running out of stock. We still have a great deal ourselves but in many cases, once they’re gone they’re gone! Make sure to have a look at the Christmas banner section on our homepage, where you will find all the stock listed above.

Reason number two rests with the couriers. Companies such as DPD, FedEx and Royal Mail are incredibly busy at this time of year, especially after Black Friday. DPD and FedEx have both had problems recently owing to sheer volume of packages, which unfortunately affected some of our deliveries. Apologies to anybody this may have affected, it doesn’t happen often but Greg maintains his advice of ordering earlier than you usually would to ensure a timely delivery. Royal Mail have given us some delivery estimates too: If you want your orders to arrive before Christmas, order before the 21st December for first class and before the 20th for second. Greg thinks this is quite optimistic, and that it’s still better to order earlier if possible.

The final reason is because of price rises, owing to the weakening British pound. As of the 1st January, most manufacturers are increasing their prices by 10%. Greg has mentioned these rises in previous shows, so here’s a reminder. If you have the cash flow, we highly recommend that you get everything you need for early next year now. Balloon Market will also be increasing its prices, so make sure to grab your essentials while they’re cheaper!

Dates For The Diary

With that said, here’s a few Balloon Market days to look out for:

• We will be closing on the 23rd December at 12:00pm for our Christmas lunch, and re-opening on the 3rd January at 9:00am as usual.
• Our last dispatch day is the 22nd – From then, Royal Mail will be unlikely to reach you until after Christmas so be warned.
  Courier orders will aim to reach you the next day, but as mentioned the courier companies will be extremely busy so be prepared for any hitches.
• The last day for ordering helium is the 19th. Over Christmas, all agents close down and with the exception of medical gases, they don’t distribute any gases at all.

New Balloons- and they’re sparkly!

Last but by no means least, Greg is delighted to introduce the Black & Pink Sparkling Celebrations range from Amscan! If you liked the Black & Gold designs we showed last week, make sure to have a look at these. They’re sophisticated, sparkly and a little bit different, so we know they’re going to be a hit in 2017! Watch this space.

Now we come to the question of the week! It’s a bit of a random one this time: What did you have for breakfast this morning? As ever, leave a comment below and we’ll see you next week!

James

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