So I thought I’d let you in on a few of my favourite secrets when it comes to saving money on gifts.

1. Buying in Bulk

Buying in bulk is a fantastic way to solve the problem of gift buying for things like secret Santa. Work colleagues, charities and extended family. You can purchase 10 of the same product save hugely on costs as well as on time. With you being able to complete your shopping with fewer purchases.

2. Clearance Sales

Don’t be afraid to look for bargains over Christmas. There’s no better feeling then knowing not only did you get a great gift but you got it at a great and unexpected price. OO has huge bargains to be found both online and in the showroom. Reasons for the huge savings vary but can include anything from slightly damaged packaging to excess stock amounts. But with products often being slashed well below cost price its definately worth the look.

3. Shopping Online

The Christmas season brings us joy, it also brings longer ques, crazy parking lines and mall adventures where you feel like a sardine cramped in a tin. So that’s why I highly recommend hitting the online stores for your Christmas shopping. Not only can you get all the products delivered to your doorstep without having to experience the pain of Christmas shopping, but you can often find much bigger discounts online.

4. Getting Sentimental

My last but defiantly most favourite Christmas shopping idea involves getting a little sentimental. Everyone enjoys getting cute little knickknacks and novelty items for Christmas but there’s something more special about receiving a more personal gift. Sentimental gifts can mean anything from making someone something yourself or buying something with a little more meaning behind it. For example things like buying a scrap book and filling it with photos of you and the receiver together, an item that reminds you of a holiday together. Little things like this can save you big time dollar wise, whilst at the same time giving someone a gift they will appreciate.

My aim here (for my own benefit as well of course) is to minimise if not eliminate completely the stress of Christmas shopping.

So here it is to you a little Christmas jingle celebrating the 10 reasons why OO is your Christmas shopping heaven. (I expect to be hearing from Hallmark shortly)

An OO Christmas

1. We have the cheapest prices on our online bargain store.

2. You can also touch and feel before you buy, its all on display on the showroom floor.

3. We know gift buying is tough so you’ve got fourteen days to exchange*.

4. But we know you’ll find something great, we’ve got such an amazing range.

5. Our staff will keep you happy, on customer service there is no price.

6. We also have qualified employees who are there to give you great product advice.

7. You can do your entire Christmas shop online,

8. These days we understand there’s a struggle for time.

9. So save the time of shopping around

10. Because no better price will be found

11. Organise to Pickup or Deliver whatever is best

12. Shop with OO we know you will be suitably impressed.

* Terms and Conditions

The showroom will be open from 10am to 4pm every saturday from now on, so feel free to stop by pop in and have a look around. With everything from our online store, ready for you to take home.

As I flick through the pages of month old gossip magazines and out of date catalogues I realise a trend with the advertisements. Companies telling us what we need, why we need it and that they have it. An age old marketing technique with obvious successes.

At OO we like to spin things up a little, work a little differently. We let you tell us what you want, why we should sell it, and we try to make it available.

So whilst we enjoy nothing more then finding unique and fantastic products at the best possible prices. We also take great pride in providing you with what you want at prices you will love.

So if you have seen something that you know we need to sell, or even an item that we’ve previously but no longer stock. Give us an email. And be sure to check out our Latest Arrivals - your request may be in!

customerservice@oo.com.au

We’d love to hear from you.

I began to explore this new found love for no name or more unknown brands. I slowly began to realise, just because I’d never heard of it before didnt mean it was bad. Something that my new OO colleagues had been trying to convince me for weeks. I was suddenly a full blown supporter and promoter of quality products regardless of their brand. A lot of the time, branding has to do with how much money the company spends on marketing. You may ask yourself at the end of the day, how much am I paying for the product and how much is paying for its marketing? Yet, there are heaps of companies out there spending that money on producing a quality product. In making it affordable to price conscious shoppers, they don’t spend as much money on branding the product so as to keep the price competitive.

OO stocks a large variety of products in a wide range of brands. For example our electronics section has your well known Philips, Sony, JVC products but it also contains products from companies like Tedelex, Vivo and Hailo.  Whilst its easy to automatically jump to a brand you know and trust, there can be many rewards in trying out another alternative. This is even more true at OO, where you can purchase these products with the security of OO behind you.

All products you purchase from OO come with a warranty, ranging from 14 days to 12 months. So why not try a brand youve never tried before and reap the rewards of an amazing save.

Here at OO we encourage collaborations (we’d be nothing without Flo and Joe), we not only collaborate with companies to produce top of the line products at the lowest prices but also stock successful designer collaborations.

One Teaspoon is a hugely successful Australian brand synonymous with sass, sophistication and funk. They have teamed up with the respected and established Le Specs sunglasses company to create a line of retro inspired contemporary eye wear.

The collaboration has been celebrated throughout the fashion world with the pieces being sold in top boutiques and mainstream stores across the country. The glasses are being sold for upwards of $90 but here at OO the prices start at $34.95.

I personally never use to be a huge fan of Internet shopping, I was a skeptic. Always worried about security, privacy and reliability. Now whilst my trust in shopping online has shifted dramatically (currently addicted to online shopping), I understand what its like for people who have that fear. This is why we have a showroom. People can come into the store - touch, feel, try on, experience, see for themselves exactly what they are buying. If you live in Sydney, I can’t see why you wouldn’t make use of the showroom.

Now not only is the showroom great for that added sense of security ,there are also amazing bargains to be had.  The OO Showroom features “in store specials” where customers can grab unbelievable specials available only to showroom shoppers. For instance we’ve recently had beautiful large glass vases selling for $7.95, Hand Painted Ceramic Mixing Bowls for $4.95 and Ceramic Mugs for $2.

Our specials can often include items with slightly damaged packaging, missing pieces or floor stock. This means that you can grab items often well below cost price, purely because of torn packaging. There are a number of you who can see the sense in this.  So if you are keen to grab ridiculous discounts on sunglasses, electronics and homewares take some time to stop into the OO Showroom.

One of the latest additions to the Apple Ipod family is the Ipod docking station. The docking station allows customers to not only use their Ipod as a mobile music player, but as the main music system in their homes. It means you can have all your favourite tunes without needing to have the room to store all the CSs.

The docking station comes in many different shapes and sizes as well as qualities and power. Ranging from small portable speakers to large surround sound systems. Whilst apple have created their own docking stations there are also other options on the market, many of which are stocked at OO. These docking stations coming from brands such as Philips and Sony and ranging in pricing from upwards of $26.00.

Ever had the problem of running out of music at a party? Favourite CDs getting scratched? Just not knowing where you placed your favourite album? By having all your music stored on your Ipod and a docking station near by you will be able to share all your favourite music at the touch of a button.

So what’s the deal with this contest?

A chance to win a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel the world! OO.com.au partnered with Velocity – (the Loyalty program of Virgin Blue) is offering a grand prize of One Million Velocity Points to the winning entrant of this contest and there are 101 other prizes to be won, including a 32” Plasma TV, Samsonite Luggage, Gucci Sunglasses, DVD Box Sets and much more. And oh, by the way – it’s free to enter! That’s right. You don’t even have to make a purchase. Entry is open to all Australian and New Zealand permanent residents*.
OO sweetens the deal by offering you a coupon just for entering. Check around at what they have on sale, you might find something you’d like for yourself, a new designer fragrance, possibly something for Dad since Fathers Day is on the approach. Remember that OO.com.au (oo.co.nz) ships to New Zealand so we hope a number of you new to our bargain website, will take this opportunity to check out our range and service.

The coupon is yours, the entry is in and you may be thinking, how can I improve my odds at winning? Refer your friends!  Each additional ‘refer a friend’ email address that a participant records (after they have entered their own details) will entitle them to an extra entry into the draw. Bonus!

Enter the Become a Million-Air Contest at http://www.million-air.com.au. Simply fill in your name and email address and you are one step closer boarding your flight around the world.

The 1970’s were a time filled with revolutions, whilst many of them revolved around peace and the environment, one centred on the exercise industry. “The Vibrating Belt” As its been formally known was a revolutionary device created to increase blood flow and provide muscle exercise with the least possible effort. The machine took off all over the world, with many ladies exercise groups forming in celebration of this creation.

Whilst the original product is now considered a collection item by many, we have found a modern version for your enjoyment. “The Vibrating Belt Massager”  runs with the same concept of the original but with the added bonus of modern science and technology behind it. There are others out there on the market but this is one of the few that can be found for under $200.

So if you want to try an Exercise Machine that does the exercising for you, whilst still providing you with visible results check out this hit.