Advertisement
Singapore markets close in 3 hours 35 minutes
  • Straits Times Index

    3,177.06
    +5.13 (+0.16%)
     
  • Nikkei

    39,898.80
    +158.40 (+0.40%)
     
  • Hang Seng

    16,551.87
    -185.23 (-1.11%)
     
  • FTSE 100

    7,722.55
    -4.87 (-0.06%)
     
  • Bitcoin USD

    65,115.53
    -3,240.91 (-4.74%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,149.42
    +32.33 (+0.63%)
     
  • Dow

    38,790.43
    +75.63 (+0.20%)
     
  • Nasdaq

    16,103.45
    +130.25 (+0.82%)
     
  • Gold

    2,162.50
    -1.80 (-0.08%)
     
  • Crude Oil

    82.56
    -0.16 (-0.19%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.3400
    0.0000 (0.00%)
     
  • FTSE Bursa Malaysia

    1,550.00
    -3.64 (-0.23%)
     
  • Jakarta Composite Index

    7,344.13
    +41.68 (+0.57%)
     
  • PSE Index

    6,893.62
    +40.33 (+0.59%)
     

Do you need an elf this Christmas?

LUDIFY-SG provides convenience/errand services that helps you save time on everyday errands. (PHOTO: LUDIFY-SG Facebook)
LUDIFY-SG provides convenience/errand services that helps you save time on everyday errands. (PHOTO: LUDIFY-SG Facebook)

By Theresa Ellsworth

With less than two weeks to Christmas, the scramble for gifts is underway. But if you loathe manic crowds and endless queues, or simply don’t have enough hours in your day, there are elves who can do your browsing and buying for you. Here’s a round-up of some concierge services that could take the craziness out of Christmas shopping.

(PHOTO: The Concierge Co. website)
(PHOTO: The Concierge Co. website)
  1. The Concierge Co.

    From picking out gifts to organising Christmas parties, The Concierge Co. stands ready to jingle all the way. This Christmas, they’ve been called upon to secure rare designer products, plan corporate parties featuring turkey, holly, and carolers, and even to arrange sleigh rides on a Harley. Charges vary with how difficult a gift is to acquire or an event is to plan, but service fees range from S$20 to S$80.

  2. Ludify-SG

    Personalisation is the promise of Ludify-SG, founded by entrepreneur Lionel Chew in 2018. From hunting down hard-to-acquire birds like budgies, to coming up with novel gift ideas that capture a relationship and crafting messages to match, the team takes over the hardest parts of present planning, wraps the gifts, and even supplies novel delivery ideas. Rates typically start from S$40, with 10 per cent off until year-end.

  3. A Winsome Life

    A Winsome Life started out as a food blog in 2011 before founders Melvin Lee and Jacqueline Teo began offering errands services in 2013. Their holiday services include everything from handwritten cards and buying limited edition Converse sneakers to delivering surprise sushi. With an overseas network covering the US, the UK and New Zealand, this “personal concierge” can secure Christmas gifts from afar, as long your order gets in by 11 December. A Winsome Life charges a fixed rate of $80 per hour for any service within its team’s abilities. Clients are responsible for shipping and tax fees for overseas gifts.

  4. iTask

    This app connects clients to “taskers” who do gift-grabs, and even plan quick Christmas getaways. For shoppers looking for gift suggestions, they offer four choices, available until 23 December: a handmade passport holder with a customised nametag and logo ($10), a bottle of 2018 Villa Loren Pinot Grigio delle Venezie ($28), a customisable stainless steel tumbler ($30), and a salted egg roast turkey by Fort Canning Hotel that serves six to eight people ($170). Make your choice, write your card, and the gift will be wrapped and delivered between 18 and 24 December. The app is free, and available on the Apple iTunes Store and Google Play.

  5. Prince’s Landscape and Gardening

    For those who want to Christmas up their homes, offices or events without having to get out, buy and decorate a tree, Prince’s Landscape and Gardening will secure you a 5ft to 12ft Noble Fir, and decorate it in the colour scheme of your choice. You decide on how much décor-coverage you want (30%, 50% or 70%). They’ll deliver it, and even dispose of it for you. Last minute convenience, however, comes at a price - prices start from $600.

Related stories:

Tourists surging to Singapore help push hotel deals to record

Here are some things you should never buy second-hand

Year in Review 2019: Yahoo readers’ most searched travel destinations