Our very own Nancy Harris was featured in Crescendo Apparel’s Holiday Season Ezine offering tips and tricks on how to make shopping less stressful during the holidays. In case you missed it, here it is!
Hand over your list. Harris informs us that some people hate to shop. In those cases (and when time is just too tight), personal shoppers can be sanity savers. “Give them the list,” she says. “They take care of the rest.” In many large department stores (Nordstrom’s, Bloomingdales), personal shopping is free. Call customer service to inquire.
Prepare for emergencies. When you realize you forgot someone, it’s almost always too late to run out to the store. For just that occasion, keep fine chocolates and a few bottles of wine on hand. A stash of tissue and gift bags will seal the deal. Literally.
Squeeze some fun out of it. Use the annual shopping ritual as a device to enjoy quality time with friends. Have breakfast together, plotting out the stores you’ll each hit, then meet up for afternoon tea.
Start early. Notice that Harris said breakfast, not lunch. The time of day you shop can make all the difference. In the early a.m., salespeople are fresh and the crowds thin. Try after work, too, around 7 p.m.
Personalize the impersonal. Gift certificates? That’s so impersonal! Not if buy according to your friends’ personal interests. For the foodies in your life, Chicago Food Planet’s restaurant tours get rave reviews. So do those by the Chicago Architecture Foundation.
Shopping: The gift that keeps on giving. Harris doesn’t mention this, but we will: For the fashionista close to your heart, give a gift certificate for a You Just Shop group shopping tour. The best part: She’ll probably invite you first. (Just saying.)
Do it in your PJs. But think beyond Amazon.com, says Harris. Numerous Chicago boutiques have an online presence (Harris likes Lissa On Maxwell and Shebang), where you’ll find interesting items the likes of which Overstock.com has never seen.
Make life easier in 2010. It’s too late now (sorry), but you can make next December infinitely easier: Buy gifts throughout the year. There are some particularly good months to do this, says Harris. Around Valentine’s and Mother’s days, beauty products are deeply discounted. In one swoop, you can grab mom her bottle of Shalimar and your girlfriend a bottle of Chance.
As always, happy shopping!
Posted under Press
Email This Post
