It's easy to be swayed by all the more complicated LEGO sets when shopping for a children's gift, but there's something to be said for grabbing a bunch of LEGO bits and relying on the imagination for enjoyment. If you're not keen on Star Wars or other branded kits, this 1500-piece pack from Kmart is on sale for $79.

Australia's major shopping retailers are about to kick off their mid-year toy sale frenzy, with oodles of discounts on popular playthings. Here's an overview of what each retailer has in store, along with some bargain-hunting tips to help you sort through the trash.

That 25 per cent off is always hard to resist: from tomorrow until June 20, Kmart will sell you a pair of $20 iTunes cards for $30. Go forth and download.

We've been talking about the new flybuys loyalty scheme quite a bit here at Lifehacker, but I realise that coverage has skipped one relatively central point: whether points are easier to earn under the new scheme than the old one. It turns out that the new flybuys is marginally more generous, but neither offers anything like the level of savings you'll get from shopping around and finding the best specials.

As well as cheap iTunes cards, Kmart's current catalogue includes two discounted prepaid Android phones: the LG Optimus Spirit on Telstra for $129, and the HTC Incredible S on Optus for $299.

Telstra's bargain prepaid Android phone the Smart-Touch T2030 was $99 when it was first released, but the price has since dropped to $79. That's a reasonable saving, but until January 18 Kmart has an even better deal: the same $79 price tag, but with $50 of included prepaid credit.

Get those emergency Christmas gifts ready! From tomorrow through to November 9, Kmart has the familiar 25 per cent off deal offering $40 worth of iTunes cards for $30.