There are some simple shopping guidelines that can make your holiday as fun an exciting as you hope for without leaving you pulling your hair out.
In most cases your average holiday shopper is a person who waits until the last minute and then complains that they haven’t gotten everything they needed. Stores have their eyes open for this kind of shopper and that is why prices are so much higher around the holiday; they are counting on you to not have a strategy and just randomly shop at the last minute.
Rule of Thumb
My first rule of thumb is to always have a plan and make sure you stick to it. Holiday shopping should be something that is done in advance and not saved for the night before Christmas. All you will get by doing it last minute is a major bill and a major migraine.
Layaway option
Start your Christmas shopping now in order to avoid higher costs and lack of merchandise choices. I am a big fan of layaway and I have seen that there are many places offering layaway this year such as Wal-Mart and Sears. In the past, Wal-Mart had stopped their layaway but I see they finally came to their senses and realized that consumers need this as an option.
What do the kids want for Christmas?
You need to talk to your kids bright and early about what they want so you have adequate time to find the item for a reasonable price. There are so many hot ticket items and some can be hard to find; they can be out of stock until after the holiday season if you wait too long.
Rules for Shopping Success
There are 8 rules to making the season a smash without busting the wallet and going insane.
- Make a plan.
- Start early, (no later than the end of October.)
- Check store policies on layaway.
- Layaway large items that are more costly and pay for the less expensive items straight away.
- If you have a specific store in mind, call and ask them when their truck comes in; you will want to shop the day after the truck comes so that you can be sure the store is stocked with items to choose from. (If you are looking for a specific item, call and ask them if they have it in stock to avoid going out in the hustle and bustle for nothing.)
- Do not impulse shop! (Knowing what you want to buy before you get there will help you from overspending and buying random things that aren’t really what you had in mind.)
- Shop at prime times of the day. There are many people who shop on their lunch break, or after work so if you can, try to shop when the store opens or later in the evening on a weekday; to avoid shopping in congestion try not to shop on the weekends at all.
- Have fun on your shopping adventures and make sure it’s done with lots of love and holiday cheer.
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