Smug Christmas Shopping... (Tips For Hassle-Free Christmas Shopping)

Member Name: moonbailey

Product:	Tips For Hassle-Free Christmas Shopping
Date:	02/01/02 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy shopping and well thought out gifts

Disadvantages: you might forget this advice before you need it!

I can write this now, tongue in cheek - having completely ignored my own advice this year and done the 'Oh my God..what day did you say it was?' Christmas Eve shopping dash.

This resulted in a lot of M&S brand food changing hands - seems gererous - but I work there so it's hardly the most well though out gift idea!

Anyhow, I digress...

Here's the tried and tested present buying plan:

1) Start early. 27th December is fine. Why not? You've just realised which presents went down a storm and which fell flat. The ideal present that you should have handed over is fresh in your mind. I say, gather presents as and when you see them through the year and set up a present box somewhere secret to keep adding to.

2) Failing or as well as that, use the internet. I imagine it's unlikely I'll get loads of abuse from readers saying that they don't have access to the internet - you're all on it now.

Remember delivery times and order as soon as possible before Christmas. Imagine postage costs as petrol and parking money saved - or 'no tube fare' - and it doesn't seem bad at all.

3) Now is the time to join that book club that gives you tons of points on your internet account. Most stipulate that you must buy four books in total to fulfil your part of the contract. But other than that - you can usually pick up books for at least 50% off the shop price. If you order them all at once at the beginning of the membership you'll waive the postage fee for your bulk order and complete your four book goal in one day. Plus there's no heavy lifting carting them home from the shops and they come straight to you.

4) Likewise, sites like CD wow gets all your music shopping done for stupidly low prices in a matter of minutes.

5) If you do hit the shops, don't even think about it on any saturday after December the 1st. It's so traumatising in the crowds that
you're bound to make irrational decisions on what to buy - due to the stress!

6) Oxford Street does not hold the answer - ever. They don't have more choice they just have enormous ammounts of the same stuff as other shops in the chain - only their stuff is all over the floor and out of stock in the size you wanted. The pickpockets are out in force too so you're more likely to be their christmas present than get your own.

7) Call in the catalogues! You can still feel christmassy flicking through the books with a glass of sherry and some low lighting!

8) If you still miss the High Street buzz - then go shopping - but wait until you've got everything covered by other methods mentioned - then there's no pressure and you're more likely to find some corking gifts! You can always return the ones you ordered over the phone and on the net!

Or keep them for yourself...

So, next year should be a doddle - right?

Good Luck! and Happy New Year!!

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