If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Christmas is four days away. Are all your gifts under the tree? Shoppers in the Northeast have a blizzard as their excuse for not finishing their holiday shopping this weekend. What about you? What is your excuse for not finishing your shopping? Well, no matter what your excuse we are here to help you wrap it all up before Christmas Eve.
For last minute shoppers here are some gift ideas and tips for getting your gift shopping done quicker than Santa can come down the chimney.
Tips
Don’t roam the mall aimlessly – As always, have a game plan and shopping list before you go out shopping. Check out retailers’ websites for ideas and then head to the mall. To make your mall trip even faster, download a mall directory from your mall’s website so you can find your destination stores quickly.
Don’t expect 2008 – Retailers last year got burned with way too much inventory and not enough shoppers. This year, retailers have dramatically cut back on their inventories. So if you expect to find stores overflowing with merchandise with lots of gift options just a few days left until Christmas, you will be in for a surprise. Selections and choices will be limited.
Suggestions
To make shopping easier here are some suggestions for last minute gifts:
For parents with young kids – Parents with young kids love taking photo after photo of their kids. Yet they rarely print all those digital pictures. To get them inspired to start printing pictures, give them a gift certificate to a photo printing site like Shutterfly or PhotoWorks. You can send these gift certificates electronically too.
For teenagers – One favorite store for teenagers is Old Navy. And they are currently running one of the best gift card promotions around. Until Thursday, you can buy gift cards for 20% off. So you can buy $100 worth of gift cards for only $80. Couple that with coupons from ShoppingQueen.com and you can save even more.
For anyone with an iPod – iPods used to be toys for techies but now everyone from soccer moms to teens to business executives carry iPods. To complement their iPod get them an iPod dock and speaker system. There are so many models in a variety of price ranges, you are sure to find one just right.
For frugalistas – With this economy, many people are discovering the joys of coupons and discounts. For your friends and family who like to save money, a 2010 Entertainment book would make a terrific gift that keeps giving throughout the year. These books feature hundreds of coupons for restaurants, services and stores. They are $35 and can be found in drug stores and bookstores.
Shopping at Amazon.com – If you really want to send your loved one an actual gift, Amazon.com
is your best last minute destination. They carry a huge selection of products with quick delivery options. Instead of paying express shipping charges, consider enrolling in Amazon Prime to take advantage of shipping discounts. For Prime members, Amazon even offers express local delivery in select large cities for orders placed as late as Christmas Eve. You can cancel your membership later if you don’t shop as much as you thought.
Options of last resort – If all the stores have closed and you still need gifts, here are some options of last resort:
Magazine subscriptions – Hearst Magazines has a holiday sale with many popular magazine subscriptions priced only $5 a year. Selections include: O, The Oprah Magazine, Cosmo, Good Housekeeping, Car & Driver and Smart Money. You can give a gift subscription online and no one will know you paid only $5.
E-gift certificates – If you missed your chance to give them an actual gift card, you can send them an e-gift certificate. Many online stores from Ann Taylor to Toys R Us now offer you the option of an e-gift certificate.
{ 0 comments }











