If you have yet to brave the crowds and commence the task of holiday shopping, you’re not alone. Despite the preponderance of holiday deals and sales months before Christmas, many consumers choose to delay shopping until the last minute. According to a report from Nielsen, 1 in 4 Americans have not purchased any holiday gifts, with men being the biggest procrastinators.
While time is running out, retailers are happy to accommodate last-minute shoppers by offering extended hours, free shipping and discounts on coveted Christmas gifts. Not every last-minute purchase is a good one, however, so read on for the list of best products to buy at the last minute, and where.
Toys
Black Friday saw some stellar toy deals, but experts agree: the best toy prices happen during the first two weeks in December. According to Kyle James at Rather-Be-Shopping.com, Dec. 16 is the top day for deals on toys, based on historical data collected from his website. “We get the most coupons and deals for retailers like Toys ‘R Us, HearthSong, Mindware, Target and Walmart on Dec. 16,” he says. “This makes sense as toy retailers often begin to feel the pinch of lackluster sales mid-month and start offering incentives to entice Christmas shoppers.”
If your child wants a coveted Star Wars gift or other hot toy this year, it’s best to buy these products soon since they may sell out.
Apparel
Shoes and clothing represent popular gift items for women and children. “When shopping for apparel, winter outerwear and shoes, it’s all about Free Shipping Day,” James says. Free Shipping Day is the promotional event on Dec. 18 featuring free shipping and no minimum order requirements from over 900 stores, including popular apparel retailers like Express, JCPenney, Walmart, Lane Bryant and more. “The number of coupons we see on Free Shipping Day averages close to 60-percent more than what we see the day before and many of the coupons will easily tie or beat Cyber Monday in terms of overall savings,” he adds.
Benjamin K. Glaser, features editor for Dealnews.com, also suggests apparel as a last-minute deal. The Saturday before Christmas, coined “Super Saturday” by retailers due to high in-store traffic, is particularly rife with clothing savings. “You could see up to 50 percent off sitewide or more on select items,” Glaser says.
Gift cards
Think no one wants a gift card? Think again. According to the National Retail Federation, gift cards top holiday wish lists for the ninth year in a row. During the holiday season, you can score an extra gift card for yourself or someone else on your list when you buy one from select establishments. Restaurants offer free gift cards of $10 to $25 when you buy one gift card, while stores like Target and Best Buy are still offering gift cards with select product purchases. Read the fine print on these bonus cards since some are more like coupons and feature restrictions and expiration dates.
Food gifts
Food gifts make for popular presents over the holidays, but shipping costs can add $10 to $20 since freshness is a priority. Stores like Harry & David, Omaha Steaks, Wolferman’s, Cheryl’s, 1800Baskets and more are participating in Free Shipping Day, so you can send delicious treats in time for Christmas while dodging delivery fees.
Costco and Sam’s Club are other good sources for food savings, featuring gift baskets from $20 to over $100 from such brands as Godiva, Ghirardelli, Starbucks, Lindt, Alder Creek and others. You can also make your own gourmet gift basket with homemade goods or products purchased from your grocer or local gift shop.
Gift bundles
A gift basket overflowing with goodies may seem pricey at $79.99, but you can split this gift into several gifts to cross a few people off your list and save money. Costco and Sam’s Club offer gourmet gift baskets, gift card bundles and more which can easily be separated into individual gifts. For example, a four-pack of $25 MovieTickets.com gift cards is available from Costco for $79.99, and that’s 20 percent less than face value, enabling you to send a gift to four different people in just one purchase.
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