How to Survive Holiday Shopping

As the holiday season nears, and stores introduce special offers and sales, one can get overwhelmed. Here is a guide devised to make the potentially hectic time more manageable.

For those who plan on participating in Black Friday, you might have to begin your shopping sooner than planned. Stores have begun opening as early as 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. This trend has been met with both positive and negative feedback. If the event cuts into your family time or is a problem for you you’re going to have to plan out ahead of time which stores to wait in line for, and which to skip all together. Among these stores are Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, Macy’s and Kohl’s.

Online shopping can be a really convenient way to save you time and money. Though, if you plan on doing the majority of your holiday shopping online, plan ahead to ensure the arrival of your purchases before Christmas. You can check the company’s shipping deadlines on their website. According to Shop.org, 93% of retailers will offer free shipping promotions this year, so shipping fees are nothing to worry about. Also, most stores have the option of allowing you to have items shipped to stores in your location, so you can just go pick them up.

For smart-phone users, there are a variety of apps to assist you in this field. Whether you’re checking for the best prices, coupons, or looking for parking at busy stores, there’s an app for that. Some stores are doing online catalogues you can access on your phone to get shopping done, and you can also sign up for mobile alerts from a store’s website. Access to these mobile services is helpful to those shopping on a budget.

If you’re shopping for someone and you’re not sure what to get them here are some ideas:

• Abercrombie and Hollister gift sets (men and women) for $50 or less.
• Pacsun, American Eagle (men and women), and Guess online gift guides which display a selection of clothes as possible gifts.
• Forever 21 daily holiday specials in which they mark selected items 20%.
• Value sets from Sephora.
• Gift cards (most stores have them).
• Urban Outfitters gifts (for him and for her).
• World Market gift shop.
• Gift ideas from The Container Store.

I hope these tips significantly decrease any  pre-holiday shopping stress…good luck!

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