Parents are busy people! With the holidays approaching there will be even more tasks to tackle on top of an already hectic family schedule. Although many of us enjoy the last minute rush of holiday shopping, there are some very good reasons why starting your holiday shopping early makes sense. If you need to be convinced how shopping early can save time, money and your sanity, ponder these early bird shopping secrets!
1. Aggressive Holiday Sales: The first secret is that many holiday sales and promotions are very aggressive early in the season. After all, the goal of retailers is to get shoppers into the stores, looking at their merchandise and buying early and often. Contrary to the myth that the best sales are last, early bird sales are very competitive. Some major retailers recently featured their Black Friday super deals as early as Halloween weekend!
2. Save time: The check out and customer service lines during the early holiday season are much, much shorter! As a matter of fact, you can get more accomplished in less time when you don't have to wait on those painful and endless check out lines. Express your visit by shopping during less popular "off" hours. Early morning shoppers are a rare breed, so if you can rise and shine, you can zip in and out of stores fairly quickly. Don't forget that shopping early also avoids dealing with those crowded parking lots!
3. Best Selection: Early shoppers have the advantage of the best selection of merchandise. Stores are usually fully stocked and ready to go right after Halloween, if not sooner. Don't settle for those picked over piles and leftovers of the last minute shoppers. Shop early and you even have time to order needed sizes and colors if they are not available in the store. Some stores feature store kiosks where you can order out of stock items and have them shipped (often without charge!) to your home.
4. Save Money: Shopping early saves money and reduces overspending because you are not buying under any time pressures. Early birds have time to be picky, to comparison shop and/or wait for more competitive sales. Playing beat the clock at the last minute can be very costly. Desperate shoppers who are running out of time wind up paying a premium for those items they need asap.
5. Save Your Sanity: Don't you have enough to do during the insanely busy month of December? Knocking off your holiday shopping early leaves time to focus on countless other holiday tasks such as decorating your home, holiday meal preparations, sending holiday cards, wrapping gifts, baking, holiday parties…need I say more? Wouldn't it reduce your stress by having one thing crossed off your to do list?
6. Weather Bonus: Simply put, the weather is nice now! Unless you truly enjoy shopping on those cold, dark and sometimes snowy evenings, get out there while the weather is more appealing. You'll actually enjoy the fresh fall air!
7. Online Shipping Costs: Early online shopping allows you to take advantage of those wonderful free shipping promos. Most importantly, it helps you avoid paying those expensive last minute shipping charges for rush orders. After all, do you want to pay a premium on your order and still have to worry about it arriving on time? Is this really fun?
There are certainly plenty of good reasons to shop early, but the choice is really up to you. Why not try the "shop early" approach just once this year? You may experience a more relaxed and enjoyable holiday season. Once you try it, you may never return to your last minute shopping habits again!
Happy Holidays!
For more holiday shopping tips, please see:
The Little Ones Holiday Gift Giving Guide and
Little Ones "Twelve Weeks Before Christmas" Holiday Toy Series: This holiday series is designed to help parents and grandparents make smart choices by featuring outstanding/award winning "toys that teach," accompanied by reviews which highlight and explain the educational benefits and specific skills children receive from these types of toys.
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