UPDATED: RE-POST FOR 2005: The Secrets of a Savvy Seasonal Shopper


I may be slipping my schedules a bit, but I'm still way better at holiday shopping than most people I know.

UPDATED UPDATE FOR 2005

While linking to a eco-conscious holiday gift guide over at the hip & zen pen it occurred to me that it was the perfect time to trot out this perennial favorite. Yes, I definitely should have always posted this before Black Friday (retail's busiest day of the year, the day after Thanksgiving.) What was I thinking?

So here it is again. Enjoy!

And more than that...follow some of my advice, OK?

The Secrets of a Savvy Seasonal Shopper

My friends and family envy my shopping skills. It's an in-joke in my family that I'm done by Thanksgiving every year. They think it's because I'm especially anal or perhaps this year they think it's because I have more time on my hands. But that's not why I'm inevitably done with my own shopping and helping other people with theirs by early December.

And I'm here to reveal some of the secrets behind my shopping success:

1. The holiday season comes at the same time every year without fail. So, why are you surprised every year? People complain about how retailers start hanging decorations earlier and earlier every year. But let's face it, if they didn't do that, 12/25 or the equivalent significant date for you would roll around and you'd be empty-handed. So, the fact is...every year you will be giving gifts, and probably to the same people as the year before. So Secret #1 is: SHOP ALL YEAR LONG.

I know that's the last thing those of you who hate shopping want to hear. "What? Endure this pain all year long instead of just in one 2-day spurt? You're nuts."

But think about it. Part of the pain is the panic. Part of the pain is the pressure of having to dream up the perfect present for all of your people in a pathetically short period of time. Part of the pain is the plethora of other panicked, procrastinating present-purchasers you have to wade through in the last few shopping days. Part of the pain is the impact of opening that post-holiday credit card bill.

Now imagine if you spread the pain and the cost over a 12-month period instead of 12 hours. Doesn't that feel better? Doesn't that alleviate most of what you hate about holiday shopping?

Yes, you do run a slight risk that in the intervening time between when you pick something up for someone and when you give it that they will have bought it for themselves. Don't let that deter you. that's what returns are for. Or that perfect present for Person X is probably a pretty good choice for Person Y too. Or for that matter, donate it to some Giving Tree or Toys for Tots drive. But if you do decide to give it to someone other than the original intended recipient I promise you: they will NEVER know.

2. Yes, sometimes computers suck...see my blog entry on how they can reduce me to tears. But, by and large, the Internet is an amazing tool. Now I could rattle on about how you can find info on serious medical issues facing you or your loved cats; I could prattle on about how you can find Groups or Tribes of people interested in the same things you are to interact with; I could blather on about you can ego-surf and find 100 entries under your name on Google (not that I EVER would ego-surf of course) but let's be honest: the Internet rocks for shopping! So Secret #2 is: SHOP ONLINE. That seems obvious, but really are you leveraging online shopping like you could?

Online shopping idea #1: Did you know most gift registries keep the couple's registry online for a year. If you're gifting someone who's recently been married or had a baby, check out whether the registry is still online.

Online shopping idea #2: Do you use the amazon.com wish list? For purely altruistic, demonstration purposes I have linked mine. I have long used the wish list as a holding area for things I want to buy, but am holding off on, or they're not yet released. I've checked and a few other people I know use it in the same way. I only recently found out that others can view this wish list. Notice on the right hand side you can search for someone's wish list via name or email.

Online shopping idea #3: Online (or any kind of) gift certificates. I know some of you think gift certificates are a cop-out gift, but you are wrong. Gift certificates, if they demonstrate that there was SOME thought behind the choice, are a great gift and sure to let the person end up with something they really want. Sites like giftcertificates.com even let a recipient choose to spend their certificate among numerous online retailers.

But, what do I mean by demonstrating thought behind the choice? Here's an example: did you know you can give gift certificates for fandango.com ? (Fandango.com is a site to pre-purchase movie tickets online.) Last year I took my team to the opening showing of the Lord of the Rings movie as my holiday gift, but for those who couldn't go that day due to travel, I gave them Fandango Bucks good for two movie tickets. So I think Fandango Bucks are a great gift idea. But I might not give them to a couple with a young baby (unless you give them a baby-sitting gift certificate to go with it.) I might not give an online gift certificate from giftcertificates.com or amazon.com to someone who, say, doesn't have a computer!!! I might not give a food gift certificate (or food gift of any kind) to someone who's constantly struggling with their weight.

You can also give gift certificates for more than just stores: how about spa services or nail salon services? Everyone likes to be pampered. How about Netflix DVD rental by mail (Make sure they own a DVD player first of course!) or Blockbuster? How about a gift certificate for someone's favorite special occasion restaurant? How about magazine subscriptions? There are hundreds of them out there for every possible interest. The bottom line is that you can demonstrate you put thought into your gift, while still allowing the recipient to pinpoint exactly what they want. but that leads to Secret #3:

3. There's a big part of shopping (successfully) for others that requires Secret #3: LISTENING. That's probably not something you expected to hear, but the truth is it helps if you listen when people are ramble on about their petty little lives. You discover all sorts of trivia about a person that can lead to a great gift. Again, if you're following Secret #1 and shopping all year, you won't have to remember all these little bits of personal trivia at one time. But even if you save the shopping until the last minute, how about making a little note of it when someone says something like, "Oh, I just love xxx" or "I wish I knew more about yyy" or "I used to love zzz when I was a kid" or "### is my favorite TV show." Come on, if your reading this blog, I'm going to bet you have a PDA of some sort...make a note for later. You can even make a note with pen & paper if you're practically a Luddite, but the point is to keep track of people's interests. I'll just give you one example, my step-dad, Gary. He is interested in:

Ethnic art of all sorts, Asian, African South American
Model cars, and hot cars in general
Guitars, banjos and mandolins
Trains (the newest obsession)
Music, particularly the blues and bluegrass of late
Liberal politics
Building sets for his high school director pal
Art (is an artist himself)
History, particularly WW II and the Holocaust
Disneyland
Movies

And I'm sure there's more. Out of that long list of interests there is an endless supply of gift ideas, and every person has a similar list. Don't make a mental note of it: write it down or record it somewhere.

4. Many people get paralyzed with indecision, or fall into the trap of waiting for the "better" gift idea that's surely bound to come to them. So, Secret #4 is: if it strikes your fancy for any reason for any person, BUY IT NOW!! If something catches your eye, and you have a fleeting thought about someone, there's a reason. Your subconscious has made the connection...go with it.

Yes, again, there is a risk that something better DOES come along, and your original idea is left sitting on your gift shelf. (What? You don't have a gift shelf?) But that's what birthdays and anniversaries and housewarmings etc. etc. are for. Or maybe someone else would also like it, just as suggested up in Secret #1. The point is to take action; don't be wracked with indecision and be forced into bad decisions driven by time, not inspiration.

5. Another thing that hangs people up is the fear of giving someone something they've given before. This leads you right down the path of thinking that every year you have to give something stupendously unique, or au courant to ensure you're not repeating yourself. Secret #5 is: KEEP A RECORD. Start this year by creating a gift-giving spreadsheet. Record what you ended up giving to your list. The next year, add on to that list and so on and so forth.

6. Sometimes the expected gift creates a nice, warm feeling of anticipation. The struggle to come up with something new each year can be a waste. Secret #6 is: START A TRADITION. As an example, I gave my manicurist some nice little gift each year, but noticed two years ago that she really was thrilled with that year's gift: a set of Christmas tree ornaments. She has a tree at her house and her shop, and she really loves decorating them. So the next couple of years I made sure to get her nice set of ornaments. Now she's looking forward to see what kind of ornaments I get her this year. Another potential tradition may be taking my sister to a rock concert for her birthday. Last year we saw Peter Gabriel; this year we just saw Seal. Each time we've gone, just the two of us, and re-lived the days when we were roommates and went to concerts pretty often. It would be pretty tough for her to go to concerts all the time, what with a 2-year-old and all, but it occurred to me that once a year it might be a great tradition. So variety is the spice of life, but tradition is perhaps the vegetable stock of life, a good foundation.

7. In this multi-media world, it makes sense to leverage the options available to you and Secret #7 is: GO WITH A THEME. Michael Moore is both an author AND a film-maker. Give his book and one of his DVDs as a "Liberal Beyond Belief" package. Add one of the recent books on the existence (or not) of a liberal media if the liberal on your list has a sense of humor. If someone is a fan of a certain author or musician or actor or director, buy them a book, CD or DVD of the person's work, plus a biography of that artist. If someone's a cook, you can get them a specialized cook book and some necessary utensil, for example a pizza stone and a pizza cookbook. Again, go for something they're interested in and this layered, themed approach can't go wrong.

8. Leverage events to which you may have been dragged! Yes I'm talking about Secret #8: THE DREADED ART & WINE FESTIVAL. Now first of all, those things usually happen in the summer, so remember Secret #1: Buy all year long, and Secret # 4: Buy it now! But even if you don't want to, most of these vendors now have business cards and web sites, and even online ordering. This summer I picked up several cards from booths where something struck my fancy for someone. The holiday season has rolled around, and I've gone online, reminded myself what I was interested in and even made two major purchases from artisans i saw this summer. So whether you buy as you go, or stockpile the potential gift choices for later, wander the aisleways of the A&W Festival with an eye out for the perfect gift. Between the beer-can hats and the 6th booth featuring Shrinky-Dink jewelry, you just may find something unique and thoughtful.

As you might be able to tell, I am one of the few people I know who actually enjoys the holiday shopping tradition, because it gives you a chance to demonstrate to people that you think of them, and that you listen to them and care about them and their lives and their interests. It's an opportunity to be creative and hopefully to make someone happy, not just to get a present, but to get one that shows you get them!

If you are still not swayed by my Savvy Shopping Secrets, and still loathe the impending shopping season, my personal shopping services can be acquired for a nominal fee :)

Posted: Fri - November 18, 2005 at 10:31 AM       EmailFeedback

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