Fancy joining in John and Edward mania?  The UK and Ireland’s favourite twins appear to have won support from comeback merchant Zavvi with some wonderfully designed T shirts.  But then again, these were retailing at £19.99 originally, and have now dropped to a rock bottom £3.  Maybe they know something we don’t and their time on the X Factor is to be very short-lived indeed.  Anyway, if you fancy wowing friends with the latest fashion accessory or just be annoying down the pub, then these t-shirts are probably for you:

John and Edward T Shirts

And just in case the guys are feeling left out,  Zavvi has produced a men’s version – same T shirt, different colour – click here

Prezzybox should have approximately 100 slankets for sale tomorrow (December 18)  This is the good news from Prezzybox for those still looking for one for Christmas.  However, these will sell out very, very fast.

Keep checking their website and also be prepared to take any colour available.  They should have some of every colour going on sale but they have slightly more of the Limoges Blue Slanket.

The Slanket has become the ‘must have’ item this Christmas and online stores have simply not been able to keep up with demand.  Prezzybox is the only online store with any stock left.  The delay in getting remaining stock live on their website has been the need to fulfill back orders that were guaranteed for Christmas.

Be lucky and keep checking their website during the day.  I doubt the remaining stock will last more than an hour when it goes live.  Slankets ordered will arrive for Christmas thanks to Prezzybox’s distribution system.  The Slanket costs just £34.95 at Prezzybox – delivery is just £3.95.

Here are the direct links to the Slankets at Prezzybox:

Lavender Pink Slanket

Limoges Blue Slanket

Ruby Wine Slanket

Hunter Green Slanket

Chocolate Brown Slanket

I thought I’d bring you yet another Slanket stock update as I know there are still people trying to get one of these for Christmas.  This product has undoubtedly been an unprecedented success – but the upshot is that it’s been very hard to get hold of for those that weren’t ‘early birds’ on this.  However, the good news is that it’s still available if you know where to look.

Presents for Men has stock remaining on the Limoges Blue Slanket  ONLY.  Hurry as this won’t last long.

Prezzybox (as we reported last week) will have stock of The Slanket available on its site very soon.  How many and of which colour remains to be seen.  I am hoping that they will let me know today and I will post the information as soon as possible.  Keep checking their site here.

Prezziesplus has now been wiped out of The Slanket until January now but they do have stock of the Kids Slanket still available.

As I reported , despite stock problems, The Slanket is back in stock this week at Prezziesplus.  But, for how long, is a good a question.  So, my advice is that if you want to get someone a Slanket for Christmas, ORDER IT NOW.

The Slanket has proven very popular this Christmas – it’s a relatively new product and, at just £39.95 (£34.95 with discount code), it’s an ideal Christmas present.

To see the Slanket at Prezziesplus click here – stock is due in the warehouse on December 10.

The Kids Slanket will also be in stock this week at Prezziesplus with stock expected December 12.

Marks & Spencer and John Lewis don’t seem to know whether they are coming or going with their sudden price reductions – but one suspects there are a few moles rattling around as the Christmas silly season takes hold. 

Both merchants have been engaging in very, very sudden 1-day price reductions, and far be it from me to say they are reacting to each other or trying to amass as many sales as is possible at the expense of the other.

The latest bout of price wars saw M&S announce a 20% price reduction for December 4.  This was then followed by John Lewis suddenly dropping its prices for December 3 by 30% (even though Marks & Spencer’s promotion was supposed to be under wraps). A similar promotion by M&S recently backfired when furious customers took items back they’d purchased before a sudden price drop to get the extra 20% off.

Without taking sides here are the best Christmas offers from both retailers:

John Lewis Christmas Shop

M&S 3 for 2 on Kids Toys

M&S 3 for 2 Christmas Shop

I was going to write about The Slanket and tell you what a great Christmas present it would make but….stock levels are at a really low level due to its incredible popularity. I guess this was always likely to happen. For one, it’s cute but, more significantly, with winter approaching, hundreds of people have realised what a great way this is to keep warm and also what a fabulous Christmas present it would make.  Prezziesplus is the best bet for one this Christmas…

Just in case you don’t know what a Slanket is, have a read here…  But in a nutshell, it’s a big snug blanket with sleeves for cuddling up in on the sofa in front of the TV.  It also comes in lots of wacky bright colours which is rather cool.  I’m going to be buying my daughter a bright pink one for Christmas (while hoping she doesn’t find her way to this website).

Also, there aren’t make stockists of The Slanket either in the UK. It’s crept over from the US and has largely been missed by the main retail stores – landing instead at Prezzybox, Prezziesplus and Firebox.

As I’m writing this Firebox is completely out of stock with no notice of when (or whether) they will be getting anymore).

However, Prezziesplus has stock arriving on December 7 of the main, adult Slanket while the Kids Slanket is in stock now. They’ve rather sneakily upped the price also to £39.95 from 34.95…..but there is a discount available to get £5 off this price. I actually think the kids Slanket is a little too small at only 66″ long and that many kids would prefer the full sized Slanket which is 95″ long.

Prezzybox doesn’t have any indication of when it’s getting more stock either but ti does have a nice bright pre-order button.

So I guess the only option is get over to Prezziesplus, order and hope for the best.

The Slanket at Prezziesplus £39.95 – click here

The Kids Slanket at £24.95 – click here

And don’t forget to use the £5 off voucher – get it here.

The Wii Fit has been out of stock most of the year but, with stock levels refreshed, it is now set to become the number one selling item this Christmas.  Advertised as a combination of fitness and fun, it is set to give the flagging Nintendo Wii a much needed shot in the arm in the face of the PS3 and the X-Box.  The game includes the Wii Fit balance board and can be used for fun, aerobics, yoga and muscle conditioning. 

The best price we’ve found consistently for the Wii Fit is at Viking Direct – where it’s priced at £79.99 and has remained in stock through most of November.  Alternatively, search for Wii Fit using a price comparison store and get it from the shop you choose – you will struggle to beat the £79.99 though.

Viking Direct also has a couple of freebie offers when you shop online including a FREE watch with every order.

Click here for more information…

Comet has become one of the first retailers to pass the recent VAT cut onto its customers.  It is doing this both online and in-store.  Although the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, had urged all retailers to pass on the cut, it is very likely that customers will notice little difference this Christmas.

A major tax change is difficult for online stores to integrate overnight plus many stores have pre-printed brochures and stock lists that would become redundant in the lead up to Christmas.  The timing itself makes it a problem for businesses as they gear up for the end of the year.  Even the Federation of Small Businesses voiced its concerns over speedy implementation.

So Comet’s swift change is to be applauded and they make the announcement on their website.

Comet has also released some new discount codes that are available online – for more information click here.