How to avoid Christmas shopping problems?
Holidays bring enjoyment but unfortunately they also bring stressful hours spent in crowded shopping malls.
To avoid Christmas shopping rush during holidays and indulge in fun, enjoyment and relaxation with family and friends is high on just about everyone’s agenda. This is the time of year that shoppers dread and retailers relish; the idea of planning and shopping for Christmas throws most people into a panic. Braving the crowded malls can be daunting, so here are few tried and tested tips on how to make the shopping experience more efficient and less stressful.
Some handy hints
- Get on the net to check prices online, most times you get better bargains there than in the stores. Many times you will find great deals. Remember to include the price of shipping and any taxes when calculating the total cost. Many online stores even gift wrap your order for a small fee.
- Make an early start, if possible, start shopping right after Thanksgiving. Shop for wrapping paper and bows etc right after Christmas when prices of such things touch rock bottom.
- Make a rough outline of your budget. Decide before you begin how much money you will be spending on each person on your list.
- Make lists and plan ahead. Instead of wasting time wandering around looking for flashes of inspiration, have in mind a few ideas for each person on your list along with the price range to which you want to limit yourself.
- If you are planning on doing a major shopping trip make sure to plan your route. After you have decided on your chief shopping place (mall), check out stores on the way for specialty goods.
- Get out of the house as early as possible to get the prime parking spaces, shorter billing lines and better selection and bargains.
Do’s
- Save receipts and on the back of each one write down what you bought and for whom. Make a note of the exchange and refund policy of the store.
Don’ts
- Avoid buying products that are made in a sweatshop i.e. products that have a very short shelf life.
This is a great article on avoiding the stress of the Christmas season. One other suggestion is to use online shopping sites the categorize a lot of Christmas gifts and gift ideas by recipient, gift type and price range. This makes it a lot easier and faster to do your online Christmas shopping.
September 30th, 2006 at 4:44 pm