There’s only a few things more stressful than frantically rushing to finish shopping for gifts and other things needed for holiday parties.
Every last-minute holiday shopper has to contend with traffic jam, long queues at check-out lanes, and madding crowds. So here’s a list of tips, courtesy of Ariel, Axa Philippines, and Argomall.com to help them shop wisely.
Go to one-stop shops
With the traffic situation getting worse as Christmas nears, snaking in and out of city streets is the last thing you want to do. Plan your errands and shopping so that you can do them all in one place to save time, gas, and parking or commuter fees.
Head to malls with a plan
With prices dropping up to 50 percent off and buy-one take-one deals popping everywhere, malls remain the go-to for holiday shoppers. However, you have to be wise in managing your time if you choose to deal with the Christmas mall crowd. Prepare a list of items you want to buy, or names of people you want to shop for to save your time.
Buy from local small-scale businesses
Avoid the jam-packed malls and think of a friend, relative, or the shop down the street that sells homemade or artisanal stuff. Not only would your gifts or décor be unique, you may also be able to get them at relatively cheaper prices. Even then, shop smart; make a list and stick to it. If they have an online store, even better.
Check out bazaars and thrift stores
Bazaars can be a great place to find gifts as they usually offer a wide range of products such as clothes, socks, scarves, caps, shoes, accessories, and more. There are a lot of bazaar set-ups lining up in malls during the holiday season. Thrift stores or ukay-ukays, on the other hand, are ideal for finding unique items as well as branded pieces. When buying from ukay-ukay, it’s important to make sure that the items you bought are clean and fresh before giving them away. A little bit of laundry washing can go a long way. Detergent brand Ariel helps effectively wash away stains—even those pesky invisible kulob stains.
Shop online
Search for the product you want to buy, and have it delivered straight to your doorstep.
Argomall.com strongly advises buying items from authentic and credible websites. For instance, if you’re looking for electronic gadgets, the best place to look for the best deals is an online hub that sells authentic smartphones from brand manufacturers and official distributors. An important note to remember regarding authenticity is the products should also come in sealed boxes together with warranty, online invoice, and official receipt.
When it comes to payment, look for online shops offering various payment options such as cash-on-delivery, online banking, credit cards, PayPal, G-Cash, Home Credit, and Dragon Pay, among many others.