Last-Minute Shopping Tips

When is it officially the “Last Minute??” 

I always like to get my holiday gift shopping done early, but no matter how hard I try I always seem to be picking up a forgotten gift, signing a card or sticking on a bow (even if it’s for the dog) just a few minutes before we leave for our annual Chinese Christmas Eve dinner. 

I have friends who seem to get all of their gifts purchased, wrapped and labeled in July and then gloat. (I usually have the last laugh though, because last-minute shoppers usually snag the best deals.) 

Last Friday after dinner with friends I was driving home at 11 p.m. and decided to follow my own advice and pull into the local 24-hour Kmart. The employees outnumbered the shoppers and I literally whizzed through about 15 aisles, grabbed some much-needed discount gift wrap and (OK, I’m lazy) gift bags. I was in and almost out in 20 minutes when I arrived at the checkout. The only five shoppers in the store, one checkout was open and I was third in line — when the computer system went down! 

Twenty minutes later, it was fixed I eventually got out the door. (The road to hell is paved with good intentions, right?) On the positive side I made at least five new friends since we were the only “midnight shoppers” and all stymied by the constipated computers.

1.) Save time by shopping at OFF HOURS! I like to go around 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. to the mall on Dec. 23. No waiting, and no hassle browsing. (Sometimes, see above)

2.) Bring all coupons and sale fliers with you and have them ready to present. (Time-saving preparation is crucial when you shop at the last minute,)

3.) DOLLAR STORE TO THE RESCUE! Better bargains at the dollar store for stocking stuffers; Little toys for children, ornaments in special boxes for co-workers, friends and family as place savers;

4.) Make a thorough list since time is running short;

5.) Bring all size lists along to eliminate guess work.

6.) Have gifts wrapped at the store if schools or scouts are “WRAPPING FOR A DONATION.” (Last year I met a mother and daughter who were wrapping for a great cause — a school for mentally handicapped children. I asked if they had a child or sibling in the school and they said, “No, they just wanted to help!”)

7.) Don’t forget to shop for food and snacks with all of the hubbub of holiday shopping for people! Even last-minute shoppers get hungry.

8.) Can’t leave the house? Shop online — You now can send electronic gift certificates. $2 Restaurant.com certificates go a long way! (Last minute doesn’t have to mean thoughtless)

9.) Magazines! I’m a blogger — but I am a hard-core hard-copy girl through and through! For the magazine junkie in me? Magazine subscriptions; the gift that keeps on giving! Save 75 percent over newsstand prices, choose a mag that represents something the recipient loves; Food? Gossip? Professional? Money? Success? Order online, subscriptions have 80 percent more coupons and offers than newsstand copies as well. Give a pic of the magazine inside of the Christmas card along with some bubble bath to relax and read. Cosmo? Success? Oprah? People? Rachel Ray? Martha Stewart? Paula Deene? They all have appealing mags that your friends might be pining for.

10.) Charity? Did you know that you can donate to charity on behalf of someone else? A friend who lost a loved one or a pet and isn’t really celebrating this year? A small donation in their name or in someone’s memory could be just what the doc ordered. Try the Charity Checks site for Charity ideas.

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