One of Australia’s largest department stores, Kmart, has a particularly loyal online following thanks to one woman: Larnie Lawrence.
While her name might not be familiar, her Facebook group Kmart mums Australia certainly is, with more than 240,000 people congregating virtually to share their tips, tricks and hacks.
Naturally, Ms Lawrence, a mum-of-five herself, is also a dedicated shopper of the brand, so it stands to reason she’s combed the shelves well ahead of Christmas for those bargain buys.
So stand by shoppers for the ultimate gift list reveal!
Kmart mums Australia Facebook group founder: Mother-of-five and avid bargain hunter Larnie Lawrence
In a recent interview with Today Tonight Adelaide, Ms Lawrence said the reason why her favourite shopping destination always gets it right is they’re paying attention to what their customers want.
‘They’ve got in a great design team that are really listening to their customers and what their customers want and they are producing that,’ she said.
Although it would be easy to dismiss her comments as paid promotion, Ms Lawrence doesn’t receive any money from the retail giant, however she is given free samples.
Ms Lawrence is a dedicated shopper of the brand so it stands to reason she’s combed the shelves well ahead of Christmas for those bargain buys
The busy mum who is able to spot a Kmart bargain at a thousand paces also rounded up her best buys for the coming season.
These included a pretty pink boho style embroidered shift dress, which at $20 is not only a steal, but is also ‘really on trend for this season’.
If sprucing up the home ahead of Christmas is called for, Ms Lawrence recommends checking out the brand’s range of ‘abnormal’ dinnerware, which at $3.00 a piece is not only cheap, but also looks ‘really pretty on the table.’
One of Ms Lawrence’s top picks from for the coming season include this boho embroidered gem for just $20
Another of her top buys include these ‘abnormal’ shaped plates and bowls for just $3.00 each
Shoppers will no doubt be looking to snap up a few stocking stuffers and she said you could do worse than pick up $20 speakers which light up, or a pack of coloured pencils at a mere $3.00.
Retail expert Barry Urquhart also commented on Ms Lawrence’s wide-range of influence, and said on Today Tonight Adelaide: ‘This woman is well-known. She’s a great case study and she is more effective than the Kardashians.
With recent news online behemoth Amazon is set to open its virtual doors on Australian shores, there’s some speculation it could harm local retailers.
Stocking stuffers: $20 speakers that light up (pictured left) or a pack of colouring pencils for $3.00
A confirmed launch date has not yet been announced, but Daily Mail Australia has contacted Amazon for comment.
Recently, Amazon’s Australian manager Rocco Braeuniger said a launch is imminent.
‘There will be an impact but interestingly enough Kmart has survived the flood of global fast fashion. Many Australian retailers didn’t,’ said Mr Urquhart.