Melissa Murphy enjoys the thrill of a retail therapy ‘hit’ without spending a penny of her own cash
Woman dubbed ‘Mrs Claus’
A shopaholic mum spends thousands of pounds of other people’s money each week as a personal Christmas shopper in Primark. Melissa Murphy, dubbed ‘Mrs Claus’ by customers, enjoys the thrill of a retail therapy ‘hit’ without spending a penny of her own cash – instead filming herself shopping in the store and buying requests from viewers.
The 36-year-old set up her personal shopping experience on Facebook in September but as interest grew in the shopping service, launched an account on TikTok so more people could find her. The mum-of-three now spends more than 10 hours a week mooching around Primark, TK Maxx and Homesense snapping up items on people’s wish lists ahead of Christmas.
While completing her ‘free’ retail therapy on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the full-time mum shares videos on social media of what’s on the shelves so people can put in requests.
Eager buyers then have a few hours to secure their items by sending payment across to Melissa before she puts them in her fold-up wagon ready to package up and post out. Customers, the majority of whom Melissa says are disabled, grieving or suffer with mental health problems, pay a small additional charge to cover postage and packaging.
Despite putting 10 hours of leg work into buying items, plus an additional six hours packing them for delivery, Melissa claims she only makes £30 profit each week she spends on a takeaway as she is ‘not in it for the money’. The retail therapy fan says she often leaves cashiers ‘gobsmacked’ when she does her huge shop – especially earlier this month when she forked out more than £800 in one Primark haul.
Melissa from Aintree, Merseyside, said: “I do get strange looks when I go to the tills with all these items. The person that serves me always has a laugh. The person I had who served me [in Primark] said the biggest shop they had ever done on that floor was £719 and asked if he thought I could beat it.
“When I went to Primark I did £844 and he was gobsmacked that we beat it. The shopping side of it is free retail therapy, I love to shop so this way I can do it without spending all the money myself.
“For this store your first item, no matter how much it costs, I charge £3 and this goes towards shipping costs. After that, any add-on item is £1 per item. I don’t really make any profit. I make about £25 to £30 in profit, which is about a takeaway a week. Customers keep asking me to put the prices up but I won’t as it’s not about the money for me.”
Most of Melissa’s customers are people who can’t leave the house either because they are disabled, grieving or find shopping too overstimulating for them and enjoy watching her social media videos.
Melissa said: “Most of them [my customers] have physical disabilities or have autism and will not go outside because it is too overstimulating for them. Some of the customers also suffer with grief as well so for mental health reasons they don’t feel like they can leave the house.
“They love watching my videos not only to buy the items but to have a chat too. I started from my own point of view because I have mental health issues myself and seven years ago, I lost my son so keeping busy helps my mental health.
“It feels so rewarding and amazing to help people get their items ahead of Christmas. I’m not in it for the money and it’s an ‘I help me to help you’ situation. Helping myself is helping others so that is the main focus.
Shopping lover Melissa doesn’t drive so takes a pull wagon with her, earning herself the nickname ‘Mrs Claus’ from customers. Melissa said: “I don’t drive so I take a pull wagon to the shops and to the Post Office when the parcels are ready and my husband takes me shopping in the car when he’s off.
“My husband is great. Our front living room is now known as the packing room and is always full with items ready to go out. I have had a few requests to go to other shops now too, I’m going to Home Bargains and B&M this week.
“I’ve been called Mrs Claus by customers and have now ordered some Christmas jumpers to wear while I’m shopping. I love the shopping and I even like the packing side of it too but the part I love about it the most is the feedback I get when people receive their items and love them.”
