Holiday Buying Needn’t Land You in the Red

Once I get the toys on my gift list out of the way, the decorations started and the gift baskets selected, the rest seems to fall into place.

For toys, the deals at L.E.C. World Traders, a warehouse operation, are hard to beat at prices that are wholesale and below. A metal fire truck by Nylint about 12 inches long usually sells for $15, but here it goes for $8.90. A radio-controlled construction truck 18 inches in length is $7.50, 75% lower than its usual retail price of $30. My particular favorite is a keen little keyboard with 37 keys on it for $11.90; the retail price is $30.

L.E.C. World Traders, 249 N. First St., Burbank. (818) 295-3794.

Video games are still hot, and the folks at Game Dude have them all, new and used. The used games are 20% to 80% lower than the new ones, which are still a bargain at about 15% off. Figure $34.95 on a game that would sell elsewhere for $39.95. Game Dude just happens to be about the only place in town where you can get a Sony Play Station 2, but it’s definitely not a bargain. The price is about double the regular price because of the scarcity of units.

Game Dude, 12104 Sherman Way, North Hollywood. (818) 764-2442.

For trees and decorations, I found the prices at JAS hard to believe. Start with silk trees. A six-footer that retailed for $250 is $50 and a 15-foot tree that retailed for $1,800 is $325. To top off the tree, try an angel for $15 that originally cost $58.50. Wreaths run from $5 to $12; one retailed for as much as $36. All the silk flowers in the store (and there are at least 5,000 of them) are $1.

JAS, 14801 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. (818) 501-7179.

The gift baskets at Valley Beverage will not last long at their current prices because they are some of the nicest I have seen with fine wines and liquors, gourmet foods and perhaps the prettiest wrapping in town. A $39.99 basket had two bottles of wine, one red (Beaujolais-Villages) and one white (Louis Jadot Macon-Lugny), a good size package of Danish sausage, tomato-basil cheese, Old Spice Dijon mustard, water wafers and some Ghirardelli chocolates. They will customize baskets to the theme of your choice and offer free local delivery. Ask for Dawn.

Valley Beverage, 14901 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. (818) 783-9463.

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For more bargains see https://bargainsla.com.