Christmas Gift Buying Tips Before The Big Rush

It's a few months before the holiday season and Yuletide celebration. It is one of the most anticipated seasons of the year, and one of the most expensive, too, because of all the gift buying and giving. Probably you already have a long list of friends and relatives that you want to give gifts to. However, the idea of the big rush scares you. Just imagine the number of shoppers flooding the malls and the never-ending queues. When you step outside of the shops, you see a lot of commuters carrying multiple bags of gifts and the heavy traffic. Even just the thought of these stresses you out already.

How do you avoid the big rush? Simple – you go shopping before the tide hits. That’s right. You can do your Christmas shopping as early as now.

Holiday Shopping Before the Big Rush: Is This Possible?

The first thing to do to accomplish a successful holiday shopping before the big rush is to come up with Christmas gift ideas for your loved ones, family, friends, and coworkers. Make a list of the people that you will give gifts to and indicate what gifts you want to buy for them. Include alternatives, too.

Armed with your shopping list, you are now ready to go holiday shopping. Follow these tips.

Go to your projected malls ahead of time and assess the numbers: One of the best ways you can defeat the big rush is to actually go to your preferred mall of choice and get to know the scene. Which items are getting sales very early on during the holiday season? Expect these to drop more or retain the sale during the rest of the holidays. Try to ask when the next sale would be and what items would be involved. See if you can make an assessment and memorize the area of the department store or the stores you want to go to. This allows you to make a plan ahead of time.
Check out unconventional places and stores for your gifts: Speaking of going to stores, you can actually try to avoid places people normally go to for holiday shopping. This means avoiding huge malls, huge retailers, and department stores. Aside from these, electronic shops, clothing retailers, and grocery stores also like to be frequented during the big rush. Find alternatives to these places, such as thrift stores, craft fairs, and local small business owners. Also, these stores usually sell affordable and/or unique items that you don’t usually find in big stores.
Avoid peak hours anywhere as much as possible: Not only should you avoid peak hours to avoid traffic, but you should avoid peak hours in general to avoid long lines and risking losing your items. It's much better to wake up early and shop early, so you can go home early or do other productive things during the day. Try to avoid weekends; instead, come on weekdays, in the afternoon, or early in the morning, so you have more time carefully choosing gifts and you can even enjoy your shopping trip.
Asking people what they want isn't exactly a bad idea: It's more practical to ask people what they gifts they prefer to receive. It doesn't have to be extremely specific. Sometimes, just a wish list would do so you have an idea as to what you can get your peers, friends, and family for the holidays. This also ensures you can look for better alternatives in case you don’t find what they want.

The Bottom Line: Plan Before the Storm Hits Hard

The holidays are just around the corner, and you know what that means. If you want to avoid the assault of hundreds of shoppers and stocks of your favorite items running out, you ought to really consider shopping before the big rush. Yes, sales and discounts abound the nearer it is to Christmas Day. However, if you want to give quality and carefully thought-out gifts and if you want to enjoy the holidays, early shopping is the way to go.