Photo by: racineur
The Christmas shopping season is upon us. Malls are cramped with people shuffling through racks trying to pick the best deals. Stores are opening earlier and and closing later while hoping to get a piece of the ever-shrinking spending pie. And I’m stuck here wondering how I’m going to get everything done in time for Christmas, birthdays, and the upcoming birth of our second child.
Honestly, I strongly dislike the “Material Christmas” season. It’s an orgy of careless spending, thoughtless gifting, and overeating – indulgences of every variety. I much prefer a quieter, simpler Christmas with family and the exchange of one or two meaningful gifts. But since I live in the “real world”, undertaking the task of Christmas shopping is still a required ritual.
Over the years, I’ve developed a few strategies to help cope with the stress of holiday shopping.
Prepare Early
Well before taking on the task of actually shopping for the presents, it’s important to develop a “game plan.” Starting in late October, I start figuring out what gifts my family would enjoy. I inventory their current fascinations and I’ll even directly ask them what they want. I want to be 100% sure that they will enjoy the gift I give them so my efforts and money don’t go to waste.
Once I have a good idea of what I’ll purchase, I tackle the circulars to find the best deals and how to best combine multiple purchases into one trip. In past years, I’ve even gone so far as to build a mini-timeline to help map out what stores I will hit, what I will get where, and about how long it should take. I’m serious about limiting my “holiday shopping experience”…
Know Your List and Your Store
When the day finally comes that you go shopping, it’s imperative that you know the shopping list almost, if not completely, by heart. If you’re standing in the store being jostled about by other harried shoppers, it’s easy to get flustered and lose track of the list. You’ll be busy trying to figure out what to do next instead of staying on task and getting the shopping done.
Before I enter a specific store, I’ll read over the list I built for that store. I do my best to map out the path I’ll take in my head before I enter so I can avoid the frustrations of searching a busy store for the gifts I intend to give. This sounds a bit mechanical and not very much fun, but I’ve found it essential for keeping my cool and dealing with the situation as best I can.
Get In and Get Out
For heaven’s sake, don’t dawdle once you get in the store! There are plenty of other people milling about in there causing nightmares for the staff and other shoppers. (Trust me on this one, I used to work retail and the “worst” Christmas shoppers were the ones clogging the aisles while they suffered from terminal indecision.) To make the trip as easy as possible on everyone:
- Gather your purchases as quickly as you can in an orderly fashion
- Be courteous to the other shoppers and workers
- Organize your purchases before coming to the register
- Have your method of payment ready before everything’s rung up
- Smile, be polite, and leave the store with your purchases
Avoid the Rush
It’s hard not to think of cattle when the crazed consumerists are pressing their bodies against the locked doors of a store before dawn. And the mad rush that is triggered by the opening of said doors is just sad. Do yourself a favor and save your dignity by avoiding the nonsense that is “Black Friday.”
Great deals are to be found all season, not just on Black Friday – especially in a tough year such as this one. You’re not going to find any empty stores until mid-January, but you can avoid the worst of the rush by shopping at slower times.
If you go on a weekday morning (before lunch time), you’ll find a lot of elderly shoppers and a few stay-at-home moms, but the stores won’t be packed. Later in the day, you’ll find the shopping traffic much heavier. If you’re a night owl, shopping past midnight on an average weeknight at a 24-hour store such as Wal-Mart will find you greeted with a few odd stares and mostly-uncrowded aisles. The weekends are right out – everyone and their dog will be out and you won’t stand a chance.
Shop Online
Of course, the internet is open all day, every day. If you know your gift list well in advance, you can order everything online and let UPS do the worst of the work for you. This year, Amazon.com
As Always, Have Fun
I’m a huge proponent of always having fun, no matter what you’re doing. Christmas shopping is about sharing your love with someone else and trying to give them the best gift for them. When you’re out braving the crowds, it helps to remember why you’re there. Keep love in your heart, be as kind and courteous to everyone as you can, and limit your exposure and everything should go fine.
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I would say another good tip is making sure you have eaten ahead of time and have water/snacks in the car. Christmas shopping in huge crowds while not feeling your best is a recipe for disaster.
Yes, it is really a very tough ask to shop for Christmas in huge crowds. Try shopping during the weekdays during office hours when there is likely to be a lesser rush in the malls. But come to think of it; why not try online shopping. It so much more fun these days.