Many supermarkets and retailers will have great savings across a wide selection of toys, perfect for buying now and wrapping in secret before Christmas. At the time of going to print, here’s some bargains Belfast Telegraph spotted:
Asda
There’s a lot of deals for LEGO lovers. The Disney Stitch buildable toy playset was £60, currently £40, the large creative brick box set which was £45 is reduced to £25, while the Simba the Lion King Club playset was halved from £20 to £10.
Classic games are also on offer, such as a spirograph neon (£15, was £30), a football stars themed version of Guess Who? (currently £15 from £20) and classic family 10-in-1 game set (currently £10, was £20). Just don’t start fighting over who’s won after the Christmas pudding…
Even Asda’s own toys, such as George Home wooden tea set (£9, was £12) and wooden skittles and carry case (£8, was £12) have decent price drops.
Sainsbury’s
Though its main toy sale has yet to start – believed to be occurring in mid-October – online we’ve found discounts on a toybox full of items.
There’s an excellent offer of two for £15, available until February 28, 2025. Big brand names included in the deal are LEGO, Play-Doh, Chad Valley, Hot Wheels and LOL. You could save up to £11 when buying two items, pretty impressive (meaning more money to spend on selection boxes). The offer contains a range of traditional toys such as dolls, with doodle pads, puzzles and even walkie talkies.
Independent of the offer, there are online discounts on LEGO (Monster Truck reduced from £13 to £10.40), Chad Valley (crocodile xylophone reduced from £12 to £7.50) and Fingerlings (bird assortment reduced from £10 to £7.50). Smaller discounts for sure, but everything adds up.
Tesco
The supermarket has some toy offers available until December 30, ideal if little present lovers take a while to write their lists.
When checking there were plenty of gifts suitable for babies and toddlers, such as the Baby Einstein Airplane Adventure activity centre (£87.99, was £109.99, until October 15), the Hauck Rock N Swing wooden rocker (£69.95, was £79.95, until December 30) and the Bright Starts The Little Mermaid baby activity gym and play mat (£55.99, was £69.99, until October 15).
If your present recipient is a fan of crafting, you’ll find price drops off a number of art-based gifts. These include a Totum paint notebook (£14.99, was £19.99, until November 5), SES dinosaur stamp set (£11.99, was £17.99, until November 5) and SES mosaic starter kit (£12.99, was £14.99, until November 5).
Get ahead when picking up Christmas toys
The Entertainer (thetoyshop.com)
The site’s popular toys do have significant discount, whether you’re planning on purchasing a LOL Surprise doll and pet (£31.99 to £15.99), a Barbie classroom playset (£39.99 to £19.99) or a Doc McStuffins Pet Rescue mobile playset (£49.99 tom £24.99).
Its gift guide is currently available in store and online and is full of educational toys to popular favourites. Whether your present recipient loves imaginative play or interactive fun, there’s plenty to whet appetites.
If items are available in store, you can collect your order in approximately 30 minutes, Monday to Saturday – but terms and conditions apply.
Though the website states free delivery for orders over £39.99 (it’s £3.99 for under that figure), this offer doesn’t apply to Northern Ireland so where possible, access the items via store.
Argos
There’s currently an impressive toy sale on offer, with up to 50% offer on hundreds of selected toys. Don’t forget too that you can use your Nectar card, which will get you five times the points when purchasing toys until October 1. Terms and conditions apply.
Barbie and Squishmallow fans can swoon knowing that special codes online will offer a 25% saving on selected products. That’ll bring gymnast Barbie from £35 to £26.25, the Barbie hair colour styling head from £43 to £32.25 and the Belua the purple octopus from £13 to £9.75.
Once again, LEGO fans will be sated with the offers available. If your present lover loves Star Wars, the Mandalorian Fighter vs TIE Interceptor is reduced from £90 to £55, while the Clone Trooper and Battle Droid pack is down by £7, from £25 to £18.
Those appreciating the more botanical things in life will love the Tiny Plants set, from £45 to £35, while the rose bouquet is down from £55 to £41.
On the Argos site, you can search by age or by price, with plenty of deals such as £10 and under, two for £15, two for £20 and two for £30.
Smyths Toys
The toy shop is predicted to have a significant sale in mid-October but if you’re buying sooner, it’s got plenty of what it calls Super Savings.
These include a Paw Patrol Rescue Wheels Super Loop, reduced from £99.99 to £65.99, the LEGO The Milky Way galaxy art (£169.99 to £134.99) and a NERF Minecraft Ender Dragon Dart Blaster (£39.99 to £19.99).
Other brands included in Super Savings are Squishmallows, Transformers, Barbie and Bluey.
Smaller discounts can also be found on items like Peppa Pig’s Muddy Puddles Party (£34.99 to £27.99), the VTech Kidi DJ Drums (£59.99 to £44.99) and the Little Live Pets My Really Real Puppy (£59.99 to £48.99).
Smyths also offers free delivery on orders over £20 and free click and collect within two hours where possible.
Don’t forget
Swipe your rewards card: if your chosen location has a loyalty scheme, swipe your card to get all available points.
Reserve online where possible: Argos no longer allows customers to reserve for free and it’s been reported Smyths Toys disable their reservation system 24 hours before a sale is due to go live.
Check stock availability: of course, there’s no guarantee that even if it states an item is in store that it’ll be there when you arrive, especially if they’re popular. That said, it’s always worth checking, even setting an alarm to remind you.
Be early: naturally, sales are busy and with many bargains to be had means many people with trolleys. Know when your store is opening to ensure you’re as close to first through the doors as possible.
Toy renting sites
Children can soon get bored with Christmas toys, but renting them instead of buying could be a brilliant new solution that makes everyone happy.
Around one in five kids will get bored of the latest must-have toy after less than a day, and the average child loses interest in a new toy in just 36 days, according to British Heart Foundation (bhf.org.uk) research in 2021.
There are a number of toy subscription services available, including Whirli (whirli.com), which replaces toys as soon as one that’s no longer wanted is sent back, and delivers to Northern Ireland.
Parents can sign up to various toy subscription schemes – just search the internet. On Whirli, for example, plans range from £12.16 a month for a Toy Sack, to £35 a month for a Toy Chest, and pay monthly subscriptions can be changed or cancelled at any time. The toys are for children aged from newborn to eight years.