Guide to last-minute Christmas shopping
Last-minute shopping isn’t for the faint-hearted. To avoid acquiring a clutch of gifts that are destined to appear on eBay or in a supporting role on the tip, don’t panic-buy. Make the most of new technology and new gift ideas – many of which are designed especially for the procrastinators among us.
Regardless of what survivalists, recruitment consultants and religious authorities may believe, there’s one ultimate demonstration of a stout constitution, ability to keep calm under pressure and the resolve to avoid temptation. This test is the capacity to successfully pull off last-minute Christmas shopping.
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The slightly irritable crowds filling the streets and shops of town centres during the festive season are generally not tolerant of gentle browsers in their midst. Being swept up in the stream of human traffic is inevitable and can quickly lead to blind panic and the purchase of items eminently unsuitable for the intended recipient.
The modern trend for shops to start their sales mid-December doesn’t help either. Everyone likes a bargain but the intoxicating price-cuts are usually on items no-one in their right mind would want to own.
A highway without the crowds
For the less strong of heart, the internet is a haven for hassle-free buying. Christmas internet purchases are expected to top £7.75billion, a rise of 15 per cent on last year.
Unfortunately, couriers are already struggling to cope with a surge in online purchases. Approximately four million parcels are to be delivered per day, with a number of operators imposing a daily cap on the number of new orders they will take from internet retailers.
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While time will soon have run out for items bought online to be shipped in time for Christmas, there’s always the opportunity to make the purchase online and collect in-store.
A new tool in the last-minute shopper’s armoury is the iPhone. A number of shops offer mobile apps to make it easier to shop from afar. For example, the department store, Nordstrom, has an app which offers an array of pre-selected luxury accessories and apparel.
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Live a little
For most people, Christmas is a chronically lethargic time of year. Days are short, food is readily available, and everyone stays at home. What better present then than offering someone the opportunity to indulge in an activity they might have only dreamed of? While he might appear to enjoy sitting half-stupefied in the corner of the room, the average Dad is probably dreaming of driving a Ferrari or piloting a yacht.
Similarly, what mum doesn’t consider escaping the confines of family life, even if it’s only for a day? A day at the spa or even a spot of flotation therapy can work wonders after the hectic furore of the festive period.
Purchasing an activity or ‘experience’ as a gift for a loved one is a relatively new idea, but one that has proved immensely popular. Companies such as ExperienceMad offer hundreds of different gift ideas – from supercar driving days to skydiving lessons. Experiences are perfect for last-minute shoppers as – once purchased, the vouchers can be printed off at home.
Ethical investments
For the naturally creative, a DIY present is the obvious solution for a last-minute gift. It may require a substantial investment of time, but the result can be an item that is treasured or mocked, depending on the maker’s skill. For a less risky present, try a gift from a social enterprise.
The Visionary Soap Company sells its uber-ethical products through a number of easily accessible retail outlets, such as Waitrose. Elvis & Kresse make iPhone cases from recycled fire hoses and have a number of stockists in London, Dorset and Cumbria.
Resources:
How to avoid a gift seeming like a ‘last-minute’ buy.
Shops try to change behaviour of customers that have been trained to wait until the last minute.
Internet shopping isn’t always foolproof.
