Related to Wardy's Farepak Question.....

[Loosehead]

Sorry if i'm being think but why to these outfits exist at all? why don't people just save whatever each week and instead of having vouchers that they can spend in some shops at marked up prices and no change they would have cash that can be spent anyhwhere? I don't think saving out of benefits would effect benefit entitlement.

[cool-russian]

eeeezzzz bad but goooooood

[Pippa68]

What is depressing is the fact that Wardy is younger than me...and I am not a brunette lady with victorian values. I only have one saving grace, which fits his criteria but he still won't have me ;o)

Regarding farepak..as I have mentioned before, my grandparents always had one at Christmas in the 70's. They didn't have bank accounts, and everything was paid for weekly by way of a box for every bill. They were never in debt, and always had enough money to spread around the rest of the family (at one stage there were 10 of us in the house). The hamper scheme was paid in the same way the weekly bills were.

We never considered ourselves poor. The rent was always paid, there was always a good wholesome meal on the table & we were nicely clothed. Of course by todays standards were probably were 'poor' but we were the happiest bunch alive :o)

[saxy_jag]

I am a small-time agent for Family Hampers. I do it because:

a) Although my husband and I are both well-educated and have decent jobs, saving and money-management in general aren't our strong points. Therefore paying a little each week towards our Christmas relieves us of at least part of the headache.

b) We have enough to do around Christmas as it is, without the additional hassle of running around the shops to buy the boring stuff.

Most of the stuff in the hampers is decent quality and of well-known brands - I've no complaints there. I do not pay extortionate prices for inferior goods. I'll own it's maybe a little more expensive than Tesco, but then when you've calculated the petrol you'd spend getting there and the amount of time you could have spent at home doing something far nicer, it doesn't amount to much. Of course I pay interest, but you almost always pay interest on credit, and it really isn't that much. And then of course, as an agent, I take a small commission, plus I get some discount on my own orders.

I resent the implication that I and my customers are some kind of low-life scum for choosing to shop in this way. That label should go to the bigwigs who continued to take money from Farepak's customers without saying a word, and in the full knowledge that those customers weren't going to receive a thing at the end of the year. As has been said, it is the only way that many people can manage their Christmas expenditure, no matter what their income/ background/ education/ status. Rather people did it in a responsible manner like this than running up thousands on credit cards or going out and nicking what they want.

[jamesy boy]

Good to see Ward-Minter handing out hard liquor to firemen. Very responsible.

[daisy48]

Nice one Jamesey!! Typical of WM.