I visited what was once 'Birmingham's best Christmas store' that's now selling £2.50 stocking fillers

There's the chance to stock up on some bargain Christmas gifts and stocking fillers on the second floor

Once upon a time, there was a department store in Birmingham that always felt magical at Christmas. As a little girl, I remember going there with my parents and delighting in whizzing down a slide into an Alice in Wonderland grotto to see Santa.

In later years, there was a whole 'festive street' you could wander around to get into the Christmassy mood. I'm talking, of course, about the Rackhams Christmas grotto, and then later the House of Fraser festivities.

It always had the best Christmas window displays, the most beautiful festive dresses and the prettiest decorations. You could go to its cafe, restaurant or bar for festive food and drink or pick up delicious treats in the World of Food department in the basement.

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In a bid to start my Christmas shopping, I ventured into the Corporation Street store in the city centre to see what it's like now. I haven't been inside since Sports Direct took over in 2018. Whilst it's too early for any festive decorations, and the store does lack its former luxury, there is the chance to stock up on some bargain Christmas gifts and stocking fillers on the second floor.

This is where you'll find toys, games, gifts and video game characters from big brands such as Disney, Nerf, Star Wars, Hot Wheels and XBox. A big wall of huge pink 50 percent off posters caught my eye and I found both big ticket items and stocking fillings for a fraction of their original price.

Inside the House of Fraser outlet store in Birmingham

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These would make great gifts for kids and also for families, when you want to buy a gift for a family to share. Here's what I spotted:

Nerf Armorstrike Dinosquad Nerf Gun was £31, now £15.50

Nerf Gelfire bullets pack was £5, now £2.50

Star Wars Zero Droid £5

XBox Mug and Socks Set was £10, now £5

Among Us 500 piece Jigsaw Puzzle was £9.99, now £2.50

SFC Yuyu Hakusho character was £34.99, was £20

XBox unsealed (non-pristine) video games £1 each

Marvel Avengers Thanos was £6.99, now £5

My Hero Academia board game was £15, now £7.50

Trivial Pursuit Family Edition was £27, now £13.50

Buzz Lightyear Monopoly was £24, now £12

Ghostbusters Cluedo was £20, now £10

In For a Penny board game was £10, now £5

Hot Wheels Racer Verse was £8.49, now £4.25

It will be interesting to see if it becomes more Christmassy in the run-up to the festivities and I imagine the stock here changes pretty rapidly so it's probably worth popping in every so often to get the best deals.