Male sale: How to tell when men start their Christmas shopping... sales of Chanel No5 go through the roof

 Mad dash: Many men leave their Christmas shopping to the last minute with 250,000 of them not due to start until 24 December

It's not the panic-stricken dash through the underwear section, the sweaty brow or glazed expression that signifies the beginning of the male Christmas shopping spree.

The real clue to when men hit the shops to gather up goods for their loved ones begins when sales of a certain perfume go on the increase.

Finding out when men start Christmas shopping is simple - sales of Chanel No.5 perfume go through the roof.

It’s the most popular fragrance bought by men every year, and signals the beginning of their annual Christmas splurge, says high street store Debenhams.

Demand for lingerie and jewellery soar at the same time as men opt for the one-stop-shop approach and complete their Christmas purchasing in one marathon session.

So great is the trend that experts have dubbed the day 'The Male Sale' and entire retail plans are now built around the vital date.

Said Debenhams spokesperson, Ruth Attridge, 'It's like a starting pistol going off.

'As soon as we see sales of Chanel No. 5 rising, we know that men have begun the race to get their Christmas shopping done.

'Men have a totally different way of shopping. They just want to get into store, pick up the items they want as quickly as possible - and leave'.

Old favourite: Classic Christmas gifts bought by men inlclude Chanel No. 5, lingerie and jewellery

This year, 'The Male Sale' began on Saturday 17th December (and is expected to peak on Christmas Eve when 250,000 men hit the shops for the first time) but on previous years, it has begun as late as December 21st – just four days before the big day.

In contrast, women are believed to begin Christmas shopping in earnest in the first weekend of November when sales of festive decorations rise rapidly.

To offer a helping hand to the last-minute male shopper Debenhams has launched a ‘Christmas Express’ service which allows customers to have their gift buying sorted in less than an hour by the department store’s personal shoppers.

And they are not the only store to cash in on the present buying habits of men as Selfridge's have launched a mobile phone app to help ease the strain and John Lewis have come up with the Christmas Clinic for Men.

With all this assistance and advice on offer there may just be room under the Christmas tree for more than the usual lingerie and perfume, but don't hold out much hope ladies.

SIZE MATTERS: Make sure you know her size for bra and knickers by checking more than one item in her underwear drawer

SEXY DETAILS: Women tend to buy practical day-to-day lingerie for themselves rather than spoil themselves, so going for something a little more glamorous, but nothing OTT

INSIDE OUT: Opt for something that will enhance your partner's best bits

DON'T PANIC: It's nice to get a surprise on Christmas Day but if all else fails you can buy a gift voucher and go shopping together in the sales

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