Everything about Christmas is overwhelming: everything is decorated, your diary is usually overbooked and if you attempt shopping, you have a thousand different options to choose from. Online shopping has opened us all up to even more options than just what is available on your local high street. I am a traditionalist and I like to shop in store which does limit me some what and it does mean I have to interact with people but surely that is part of Christmas? What would Christmas be without a take-away Gingerbread Latte and a massive queue in a store.
A number of years ago I actually worked in retail which made Christmas shopping so much easier. I would spend my lunchtimes looking around and I would also get a store discount. I worked in a department store so the discount came in very handy. Since I have left retail I have found it so much more difficult to get my Christmas shopping done. However over the years I have found ways which make my Christmas shopping experience just that little bit easier so I thought I would share these tips with you today. As an added bonus I also thought I would share my tips for Christmas sales shopping as well. It used to be that the sales would start on Boxing Day but many sales now start before Christmas so if you are willing to leave your shopping until last minute, you can get some good deals. I can't stand the stress of leaving my shopping until last minute and for most of my friends, I have to do it early as I won't actually see them closer to Christmas.
After I have had a look online and an initial walk around my local shopping centre to see what stores are stocking, I sit down and make a list of all the people I need to buy presents for and potential ideas of what I could get them. As it is Christmas I try to make all presents Christmas themed, just to make it easier to differentiate between the presents I've bought them for their Birthday and Christmas.
My list is ever-evolving with pieces being ticked off as I have purchased them or as I have changed my mind on something. For the most part, for Christmas I like to make Christmas box sets and I tailor them for individual people. I think a list makes it clear how much more you have to do but more importantly it is great knowing you've managed to do some things on your list, it makes you feel like you've achieved something. Plus as you are the only one who sees the list, no one else knows how bad some of your initial ideas were.
2. Have a Budget
One of the hardest parts of Christmas is the budgeting. You do not get any extra money for the festive season but you have to spend so much more. When I make my initial list I always think of the money I am willing to spend on each person, just so I can budget the amount of money I think it is going to take out of my wages and how much I have left to do things with friends during December. Sometimes it is ok to go over budget, if you find a present that is literally perfect for the person you are buying for, as long as you can afford it, and as long as that means you have now finished their present go for it. If it means you need to buy more items, you can end up adding more and you'll end up going way over your budget. You do not want to be worrying that you have no money left when there are already so many things to be stressed about at Christmas. Not only that but when you have no money left, that is when you remember you've forgotten someone from your list and you can't buy them an emergency present.
I am crap with budgets but it is certainly something to consider early on when it comes to Christmas shopping, unless you are on a massive salary and then it doesn't matter. I actually try to spread my Christmas shopping over a couple of months, usually I try to start in September but this year I left it really late so budgeting has been even more important.
3. Look out for Discounts
Discount days around Christmas have to be the bane of my experience, especially around Black Friday. The prices of items fluctuate rapidly: one day you buy something with 10% off and suddenly it could have had 30% off the next day but then the following week there is no discount and you've missed your chance. I find everything about Black Friday irritating but it does come in quite helpful for Christmas. It means you can get some items slightly cheaper which if you are lucky means you can buy someone something better than you had originally thought. However there are obviously quite a few benefits to shopping during a discount period but there are also some negatives. Some stores don't include everything so you wait for a product and it doesn't even get discounted, and even worse it could go out of stock and then you've missed your chance.
Not only that but stores are sneaky, they will hold back stock so it can go back on sale for full price. I've seen this before where it is out of stock on the day of the discount but after the discount has ended they miraculously have stock again. Not only that but a lot of it isn't actually a discount. Some stores up the prices just because they know it will be going back down. This tactic is done over a long period of time so people don't notice but it does happen. Pretty Little Thing were caught out for doing this on Black Friday this year and the tweet about it went viral. What I am trying to say is be mindful. Do not be sucked into buying something because of a discount, the only time it is good is when an item you wanted to get someone goes on sale for a little bit cheaper, that just helps you out that little bit but other than my advice would be to ignore discounts.
4. Buy Presents you Like/Can Recommend
Moving on to when you are actually getting down to buying presents, I've always thought it is important to buy things you like and that you can recommend. I've always struggled to find confidence in giving someone a present that I do not personally back or like, I understand that not everyone will like the same things as me which is completely fine. Most items you buy have a variation that the recipient would like more than the one you like; for example I like a floral scent but my friend likes something sweeter and more fruity. As long as I can back whatever the product it is, whether it is a candle or a fragrance, I can still feel safe in recommending that product.
You know sometimes when someone opens a present in front of you and you can tell by their face that they have no idea what it is, I feel like that is the time when you need to explain it and tell them all about the product with confidence. This shows that you care and have taken the time to select that present rather than looking like a half-arsed job. Plus if you like what you have got them and after all of this they don't like it, you can get them something else and keep it for yourself. I have done that before when I bought someone something they already owned.
5. Gift Sets are a Life Saver
Oddly enough I very rarely buy gift sets as presents, I usually buy them more for myself. For some reason I have always seen gift sets as a little bit lazy but I don't know why because some of them are amazing and the person has still taken the time to select that gift set. Plus I am never sure about the fact that they are predetermined because there is always one dud in a Christmas box set. However gift sets are an actual life saver, especially when you are desperate to buy something. A gift set means the present is usually already beautifully wrapped, you don't have to select any of the items and to be honest they save you a whole lot of hassle. There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying a Christmas set, especially if you see that it is perfect for the recipient.
6. Remember Christmas isn't about the Material
Even though there is a big emphasis placed on presents over Christmas, you've got to remember that for most people the gift isn't even that important. I know as I have gotten older, I couldn't care less about presents anymore. When someone gives you a present you are clearly close enough to know them enough to spend time with them and the time I spend with people is much more important to me. I actually try to avoid opening presents in front of people because I actually feel so awkward when I open presents. As I wait to open my presents on Christmas day when I meet up with people to exchange presents, I actually spend time with them so there is less of a focus being placed on the presents. What I am trying to say is spend time with people this Christmas but also buy the gift of an experience. Presents have become much less about a physical product and more about giving a service, for example my parents have been given tickets for gin tours and afternoon tea so they make time to see each other which is actually a great gift, especially when everyone is so busy these days.
That concludes my Christmas shopping tips, I don't think anything is overly original but these are the principles I stand by when Christmas shopping so I hope they will help you. After you've finished you Christmas shopping, you can finally go back to focusing on yourself and luckily that is around the time that Christmas sales start. I mean what else are you going to spend your newly acquired gift cards and Christmas cash on. Sales Shopping is equal parts exciting and overwhelming so here are my tips to get the best out of sales season.
1. Only buy things you have had your eye on
I regularly write Fashion Wishlists and I have tabs open to websites which have items that I have my eye on so that when it comes to sale time, I can easily find out if they have a discount and I can buy them quickly so I don't miss out. I think that is why people go mad during sales as there is an element of pressure; well if I don't buy it now, they might not have it when I get back. When this happens my mother has always told me that it clearly wasn't meant to be which is actually a pretty good attitude to have. This means that you can be more focused on the items you actually want. If I was willing to pay full price for an item and I desperately wanted it, getting it on sale is an unexpected bonus. If sale season is the reason you get a product you have loved for a while, you will appreciate it more and you know you will use it rather than some of the awful impulse purchases you could end up buying.
2. Something you know you will use
I think it is very easy to be sucked in by the idea of the discount you believe you are getting but what is the point in buying something you probably won't use. When you are in a store or once you've added it to your basket, think whether you will actually use it and if it is truly worth the money you are going to be spending. Also does it fit into your current lifestyle? For example I've previously bought tops because they are cheap and you can never have too many tops, right? Well I end up never wearing them because either they do not fit how I want them to or they just do not fit in with my wardrobe. In the end, I could definitely have used that money for something else.
Obviously you cannot see everything that a store stocks, especially when online shopping, so if you see something in the sale that you know you will love, go ahead and treat yourself. There is nothing wrong with treating yourself, and I feel like when you see some items you know whether you will use it or not. Another good thing to look for in sales is your basics, especially in beauty. Sometimes you can get gift sets with one of your essential items and a couple of other items you may not have tried before but because gift sets have quite a big discount after Christmas, you can get it a bit cheaper.
3. Gift sets you can't pass on
This takes me nicely onto my next sale shopping rule, buy it if it is a gift set you seriously can't pass on. If you are a beauty blogger the post Christmas sales can be a great way to try products that you have been eyeing up and also to be a little bit adventurous without breaking the bank. I've managed to get some great sets in the sale which have introduced me to products I love. Last year I managed to get a Glamglow set for £27, when it should have been £42. It contained a full size Supermud which on it's own is £42 and then there was 3 deluxe samples in the set as well. Considering you don't normally get big discounts on Glamglow masks I was thrilled and I ended up loving the Supermud mask and it is now one of my favourites. In this case the gift set was too good to pass up and even though at that point Supermud wasn't an essential, it is now. There are a couple of gift sets I will be looking out for this year, in hope that I can get a discount. Origins I am coming for you!
4. Be Selective
This is the most important piece of advice I can give for sales shopping, be selective. I mean be selective in every sense: both with the items you are buying but also where you are looking. Literally every store goes into sale and you will be sold to by every single store/brand. Black Friday was a great example of this. I woke up the morning of Black Friday to 20 emails promoting discounts and from several brands I received multiple emails just on that day. It is just too much, I did not open a single email that day as I already knew they were going to have a discount and I then had a look on the individual websites or stores of the brands I actually like. Let's face it we have all signed up to mailing lists in stores just because we have been asked to but we do not really care for the brand. I just think all of this is incredibly overwhelming, you simply cannot be sold to by that many brands. If I looked at every brand I like, I would want so many things but instead I go straight to the things that I want. If you are braving the stores, only go into stores that you normally shop in. Basically be selective and do your own research during sales or you can be sucked into the hype of sale season.
5. Returns Policy
Just a quick one but one that a lot of people forget, check the returns policy. Usually sales change the return policy and you can't always take items back which means you cannot change your mind. We've all seen women in stores with trolleys full of items that they would never buy full price. Realistically when you get to that point you aren't saving money because you are just buying things for the sake of it.
The idea of this blog post came to me quite late on. I had been looking for Blogmas ideas online and when I first wrote down this idea, I didn't think I would have much to say however turns out I might actually have quite a few ideas about shopping. Shopping is a little bit of me and I have to say I think I might be an expert. As an avid shopper and someone who has worked retail, I know both sides so one thing I do want to point out is that Christmas is hard for the staff. Yes you might be struggling for present ideas but I can guarantee that the staff are underpaid and overworked. When you get time off over Christmas and New Year, they don't, and they have to put up with people trying to return presents they don't want all whilst trying to organise the sale. It is a mad time for retail so do be kind to the staff, they are doing their best.
That concludes my Christmas shopping tips and I hope they come in helpful. If you have any other top tips please leave them in the comments. As I am doing Blogmas, come back tomorrow as there will be a new blog post with my Top Christmas Candle suggestions
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