As COVID restrictions finally relax across Australia, parents are once again throwing birthday celebrations for their little ones – and many of them are hosting the parties at Kmart.
The idea dates back to May 2019, when a member of the popular Facebook group Kmart Mums asked her daughter whether a shopping trip at her ‘favourite store’ would be a viable option for her 10th birthday. It was.
The party involves a challenge where kids are given gift vouchers and instructions to hunt for specific items – typically something to wear, something to eat, something to make and something you can play with.
Mothers who have been sharing their homemade challenges online confirm the concept is a hit among kids and pre-teens.
‘My daughter’s 13th birthday last week, she and four friends had a great time doing this Kmart Shopping Challenge,’ one mum posted on Facebook.
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The party involves a challenge where kids are given gift vouchers and instructions to hunt for specific items
The challenge, which has racked up 1,300 likes since it was uploaded in a Facebook group on December 6, has sparked hundreds of delighted responses.
‘Omg I would have lost my s**t doing this as a kid!’ one woman replied.
‘It also would have taken me 12 hours because we never had money to spend so I was so indecisive buying things as a kid.’
‘Very hard but love to see my girls do something like this,’ another added, while a third wrote: ‘Wow this is such a great idea, I love it!’
The Kmart party trend is making a comeback more than 18 months after it first captured imagination online.
Chantal Simms, the mother who invented the challenge, previously told Daily Mail Australia how her daughter Bella became ‘very excited’ when she suggested it as a possibility for her 10th birthday.
In her version, guests were given $20 and told to stay together at all times while they make their ‘creative’ purchases.
They had to buy something to eat for $2, something to wear, a beauty product, an item starting with the letter B and something to play with.
Ms Simms said Bella’s friends were enthusiastic about the shopping experience and were treated to a lunch after the main event.
Chantal Simms asked her daughter Bella whether a shopping trip at her ‘favourite store’ would be a viable option for her 10th birthday (her invitation is pictured) – and it was
Ms Simms said her daughter Bella’s friends (pictured at the party) were very enthusiastic about the shopping experience and were treated to a lunch after the main event
Another mother named Rebecca Downing threw a similar soiree for her daughter Piper’s 11th birthday, but instead included instructions about collecting ‘something glittery’, ‘something for school’ and ‘something starting with P’.
‘The kids were invited to do a treasure hunt and then just had lunch at Hungry Jacks,’ Ms Downing said.
‘When the kids arrived we gave them a letter outlining the rules and what the guidelines were for each of their purchases.
‘The girls read through the instructions and then split into groups. I explained I was going to be in the middle of the store for questions and adding up.’
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Another young girl named Ebony, was also treated to a Kmart birthday (her invite is pictured)
‘Then an hour later they returned to me and we all lined up, paid for their goodies and left the shop.’
The 10 young ladies were able to secure bath bombs, pens, pencils, books, craft, nail polish, fake nails and clothes.
Other parents have posted about their desire to replicate the party online and believe it works out being a cheaper alternative than hosting the bash at their homes.
‘These parties are getting popular now. What a great idea,’ one person said.
‘Cool idea my daughter and her friends would be so happy if I did this for her! You’ll be in the running for mum of the year with all these girls after this,’ another said.
