10 November 2023 , 11:32
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Getting everything ready for Christmas often requires a lot of juggling for parents, who are trying to keep the festive magic alive for their children - it can be tough to keep gifts a complete secret until Christmas Day itself.
With this in mind, toy retailer Smyths has issued a warning to parents on their website to ensure that any gift shopping you do there stays a surprise for your children.
On the Click and Collect section of their website, the retailer tells shoppers that they should "please note your Click & Collect items will be in clear packaging with contents visible."
So if you are planning on putting in an order of this kind, be sure to bring your own bag with you, so that you can quickly pop the gifts you have purchased inside it away from your kid's prying eyes.
The warning on the retailer's website comes after customers had previously talked about the issue online, back in 2020. Sarah Breen posted on Twitter - now known as 'X' - advising other parents of the potential issue: "Warning to anyone using the click and collect service from Smyths - they put everything in a clear bag. I repeat, the bag is CLEAR".
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She repeated her warning the following year, which shows just how crucial it is to many parents that Christmas goes off without a hitch, and their children believe wholeheartedly that their gifts came straight down the fireplace from Father Christmas himself. "This is your seasonal reminder that Smyths plastic bags are still SEE THROUGH," she wrote, with one user replying: "I carry a roll of bin bags in my boot this time of year", which caused Sarah to joke in response: "big serial killer energy but I like it."
Other users also added to the conversation about similar struggles that they had endured trying to keep any presents they had secured for the kids a secret. With one even noting that their Amazon Alexa had been the guilty party that had given away what they had bought. "A colleague here has Amazon Alexa which announced 'your package will be delivered in 30 minutes'.....to which the kids responded 'Alexa, what's in the package?' and were duly told," they explained. A helpful user chimed in that, "You probably know this, but you can set Alexa to be more discreet about those things."
Belfast Live explained how to change the settings on your Alexa device to ensure that it doesn't give away any secrets:
- Open Alexa on your phone.
- Tap Settings.
- Choose Notifications.
- Select Amazon Shopping.
- Uncheck the box titled "For items in delivery updates" under the section "Let Alexa say or show titles for items you've ordered."
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