My parents are visiting from the Philippines, and every time they are here we spend hours upon hours on shopping trips, searching the stores for presents to take to the family back home. They return to Manila in mid-November, so the timing is perfect for me to send back Christmas presents for my aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. We have a huge family (my mother is one of seven kids, and each of her siblings has at least 3 kids; my mother already has 8 grandchildren!), so I have to be really careful with my budget. I stick to small presents, and search far and wide for deals.
Armed with a $25 gift card that I received at the recent Grocery Outlet Blogger Summit (plus an extra $10 gift card they gave me for being on the winning team of the Grocery Outlet Shopping Challenge!) , I decided to visit the nearest Grocery Outlet store to my home to see what sorts of holiday presents I could get.
Finding a great holiday present was as easy as walking into the store.
Grocery Outlet stores are already filled to bursting with holiday items -- decorations, gift bags, and food. Everything looks so nice, and the prices are great!!
It literally took me one minute to find these Ferrero Rocher holiday gift tins, filled with luscious Ferrero Rocher chocolates. I'm sure the stores in Manila will have Ferrero Rocher as well, but they'll probably be just the regular kind. These have 3 different kinds of Ferrero Rocher chocolates, and they're packed in festive holiday tins. I know the folks in Manila will appreciate these, because they're yummy and unique! And they're just $6.99 each! According to the sign, the regular price is $9.99; I did a quick search on my phone and found them for sale as low as $8.99, so $6.99 is still a great bargain. I used up my whole $35 gift card on seven of these babies, and voila! My shopping for my mother's sisters and brothers, and my grandmother, is done! Easy-peasy, thanks to Grocery Outlet.
Here are some other inexpensive gift ideas I found at Grocery Outlet. Of course, you might not find the exact same deals, but you're sure to find similar (if not better) ones, but these should give you a general idea of what you might find:
Truffles always carry an air of refinement and good taste, and these are just $3.99. They come with in plain, hazelnut, and salted toffee chips varieties. Salty toffee chips -- that sounds so divine, I am tempted to buy these truffles for myself.
Panetonne is an Italian sweet bread traditionally enjoyed during Christmas and New Year. You can add a touch of international flair to your holiday table for just $4.99.
All of these gift ideas look fabulous on their own; all you need to do is add a gift ribbon and a tag. But if you want a really festive-looking present -- or if you want to combine several small gifts to make a gift bag or basket -- Grocery Outlet has holiday gift bags, baskets and boxes for sale as well.
Unfortunately, Grocery Outlet had run out of milk chocolate Lindor truffles; when I visited the store, they only had the white chocolate variety left. Oh, well; that's how it goes at Grocery Outlet. I might go back in a couple of days to see if they've restocked on the milk chocolate variety. Actually, make that I'll definitely go back -- I took my parents with me to Grocery Outlet, and they are hooked! They bought tons of stuff on our visit, and they want to go back before they leave!
Win a $25 Grocery Outlet gift card and a Frugal Friends Bobblehead!
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win a $25 Grocery Outlet gift card and five Bobble Bucks which can be traded in at a Grocery Outlet for a free Frugal Friends Bobblehead! If you're already a Grocery Outlet fan, you already know what a Bobblehead is, and you're all excited about this giveaway. If you don't know what a Bobblehead is, this should help:
The Grocery Outlet Frugal Friends Bobbleheads are based on the Grocery Outlet puppets, and they have attracted a huge fan base. Every time you spend $20 at a Grocery Outlet, you get 1 Bobble Buck. Once you have 5 Bobble Bucks, you trade them in for a free limited edition Frugal Friends Bobblehead! As I mentioned, my parents bought a whole lot of stuff at Grocery Outlet -- so they earned enough Bobble Bucks for me to give some away here!
Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me what sort of holiday deal you would love to find at a Grocery Outlet store. This entry must be completed before any extra entries will count.
Extra Entries
For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).
1) Blog about this giveaway, making sure you include a link to the giveaway (http://ow.ly/7iDbd) in your blog post (1 entry).
2) Write this on the Bonggamom Finds Facebook page (1 entry):
I entered the Grocery Outlet giveaway! http://ow.ly/7iDbd
3) Write this on the Grocery Outlet Facebook page (1 entry):
I entered to win a $25 Grocery Outlet gift card and 5 Bobble Bucks on Bonggamom Finds! http://ow.ly/7iDbd
4) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Blogger/Google Friend Connect (1 entry).
5) Follow @bonggafinds on Twitter and tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day):
Win a $25 gift card to @GroceryOutlet + 5 BobbleBucks for a free Frugal Friends Bobblehead on @bonggafinds! http://ow.ly/7iDbd #giveaways
The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on November 17, 2011; I will draw 1 winner at random on November 18 and post the winner's name after he/she confirms acceptance. Bobble Bucks and gift card will be sent to the winner in separate mailings. Please note that winning the Bobble Bucks does not guarantee you a Bobblehead, as in-store supply may be limited. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!
Disclosure: I received a gift card from Grocery Outlet to purchase the items mentioned in this post. Grocery Outlet is providing the $25 Grocery Outlet gift card prize; the 5 Bobble Bucks for a free Bobblehead is provided by me (or to be more precise, my parents!). The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
I would love to find deals on toys for the kiddos
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i love finding baking products on sale at the grocery outlet for the holiday season! costana@q.com
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ReplyDeleteWould some good toy deals or LED outdoor lights! erinnsluka@gmail.com
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ReplyDeleteI'd like to get some unique candy and treats.
ReplyDeleteI love the deals on wine. I will keep my eyes peeled this year for some great deals.
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ReplyDeleteIndoor plants make great holiday gifts, so I would love a wider selection.
ReplyDeleteI love finding holiday beer specials at the Grocery Outlet. It's the reason why I first started shopping there!
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ReplyDeleteI love finding great deals at Grocery Outlet. They usually have Christmas tree lights for a really good price.
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