7 Holiday Shopping Hacks [for 2020]
If you made it here, you’re probably like me & if i’m being 100% honest with you all, Christmas shopping season is my least favorite time of the year. All the extra people and crazy lines give me slight anxiety.
After spending my fair share of time working retail I am just honestly haunted by the the thought of the holiday season. But truth be told, working retail has given me a lot of insider tips that I’d like to share with you all about how to make your holiday shopping season a little easier.
#1 shop online
My #1 recommendation but because a lot of us our still hesitate I have also listed other money saving hacks
First and foremost, shopping online has become the new thing. If you’ve made it to the end of 2020 and still haven’t mastered online shopping, now is the time! Shopping online not only saves you time, but also saves you money! I think the biggest hold up people have about shopping online is the delayed gratification part. You’ve given away your hard earned money but don’t have the items in hand yet. Nowadays with the faster shipping this isn’t as much of a hold up but I promise you, if you can master a little patience, online shopping will save you a headache this holiday season!
Fave Places to Shop Online
#2 buy wrapping paper at discount stores
(i.e. Ross, TJMaxx, Burlington, Marshall’s, Home Goods)
So in December 2019 (when I’m actually writing this) my grandmother, cousin and I needed some gift wrapping paper for our annual White Elephant gift exchange. They both really wanted to go to a dollar store but Target was literally right next to us as we exited the freeway so I swore we should go to Target. Big mistake. For $5 at Target you get less wrapping paper and less options. Granted Target does have the wrapping paper with the gridlines on the inside, so if that’s a must have shop for gift wrapping paper there. But I know that this season you’re probably looking for a few ways to save some money so getting more for less is always great —especially when it comes to buying something you are literally going to throw in the trash. My favorite places to get wrapping paper are Ross and Burlington but TJMaxx/Home Goods & Marshalls also have some great choices as well! Moral of the story is you can get more for less by checking out your local discount stores. 😏
#3 SHOP fragrances AT DISCOUNT STORES TO SAVE
Another fun hack I learned in the 2019 holiday shopping season is how to save lots of money on perfume and cologne. NOW if you’re into having the latest fragrances, I’m not sure if this method will work for you. But, if you don’t mind having last season’s scents you will love this method! This hack only works if you have extra time. Step one is to head to your local discount store (Ross/TJMaxx/Marshalls) and check out their perfume section. Snap a couple photos of the few fragrances you like, and then ask to put them on hold. Next head over to your local department store or an Ulta to smell the fragrances. Then after you’ve decided which scents you like you can head back to the discount store and purchase the fragrances for almost HALF the price. I’m not kidding you.
This year I saved so much money on Burberry, Calvin Klein, and Coach by doing this method. By saving money I was able to gift more quality gifts to more of my family members. Yes, this is an extra step but it is a glorious way to save money! And you will LOOOVE seeing your loved ones reactions as they all open their nice scents for the new year.
#4 USE STORE PICKUP TO SAVE TIME IN STORES
Ok, so let’s say you’re not fully ready to commit to online shopping. Great there’s an option for you and it’s called Store Pickup! Store Pickup has literally become my favorite way to shop. I’m being so serious. I save so much money and so much more time by Store Pickup. So what happens here is that you order everything online and as you check out you select the store you want to pick it up from. Then you head over the the store and to the store pickup area, stand in a short line, pick up your items and head out. I love this method so so much. I get the instant gratification of having my items same day and I also get them faster than me having to walk around the store. By not having to walk around the store I save time but also money because I don’t get distracted by unnecessary things I DON’T NEED. This has been my go-to shopping method for years now and I encourage you all to definitely try it out at least ONCE this holiday season so see what I’m talking about. It is literally the best thing ever.
My favorite retailers with Store Pickup
#5 use rakuten
Especially helpful if you buy online and pick up in store
Rakuten formally known as Ebates is a real no brainer to save money but it also feels too good to be true. It has seriously taken me years to hop on board this train but it has saved me so much money this year! Last year after purchasing a whole bunch of stuff online I realized I could have gotten some serious cash back if I would have signed into my ebates. Seriously this method works! All you do is sign up and then login to the website and search the retailer you wish to shop on Rakuten first and then let the website take you to your online retailer.
Here’s an example of what to do:
Login to your Rakuten account
Search for your retailer of choice (i.e. Target)
Select Target link to be redirected to Target’s website
Shop as usual
It’s literally as simple as that! I know it sounds crazy but it works and it saves money. Give it a try this holiday season for your online shopping and you’ll be so glad next year when your check rolls in with some holiday savings.
#6 check holiday hours before you head out
Some stores open earlier and close later.
This tip can either make or break your day / night. So how it made my night was realizing that I can go to stores starting at 7am or 8am to get ahead of the holiday crowd. It also helped knowing that I could hit some stores up after work for the stores that extended their hours to 11pm or even midnight! Holiday hours broke us when trying to hit up Walmart at 6:45pm on Christmas Eve, yup! They were closed! Lesson learned, be sure to check those hours before you head out just so you are making the most out of your time.
#7 eat before you shop
This isn’t really thought of to be a “hack” but I feel like it should be for so many reasons! Eating out when holiday shopping is a time killer and honestly just slows you down. By eating something before you head out you’ll feel super energized and ready to take on the holiday craziness!