7 Tips For Late Christmas Eve Shopping

On Monday, we mentioned 7 Last Minute Christmas Shopping Tips to help shoppers find what they want with just days left to shop. Today, being that it is Christmas Eve, this means that your presents have been bought, wrapped, and sent off or awaiting your personal delivery on Christmas Day. Right?!

But what if you still have one more gift to go and you can’t get out to shop until after the sun goes down?

Well, you are in luck. A number of retailers will be burning the late night oil in a bid to serve last minute shoppers and anyone else who realizes that they forgot to get something for cranky Uncle Harry this Christmas.

Without endorsing particular retailers per se while still naming some or certain types of businesses, the following stores will remain open past the customary 6 p.m. Christmas Eve closing time tonight:

Drug Stores – Your favorite drug store chain is not only open late on Christmas Eve, but some are also open on Christmas Day! Visit your Walgreens, CVS, or Rite Aid retailer and you just may find that store packed with other late night, last minute shoppers. Expect shelves to be picked over and the choices slim.

Fast Food Restaurants – While most stores will call it quits by evening, a handful of proprietors will be open late, particularly those on well traveled interstates. You certainly won’t be buying someone a Happy Meal for a gift, but gift cards to McDonald’s can be a nice item. And now that Mickey D has some decent coffee options, Uncle Harry might appreciate that gesture too!

Movie Theaters – Some theaters are open late Christmas Eve and they’re also open on Christmas Day. For people who don’t mark Christmas, eating Chinese food and heading to the movies is an annual rite, so some will be open on the holiday too. Stop by a nearby movie complex and purchase passes to give as gifts.

Convenience Stores – Shopping at a 7/11, Circle K, or similar convenience store is often possible late Christmas Eve night. Just don’t expect to find any bargains and do expect to pay a premium for whatever you can get your hands on at that hour.

WalMart – Most WalMart stores are open until 8 p.m. Christmas Eve, with others closing at 6 p.m. A word of note: WalMart stores which are normally open around the clock will close down too, reopening the day after Christmas. Visit walmart.com to confirm store hours in your area.

Kmart – Visit Kmart.com to find out when this retailer closes their stores in your area. But, a quick look at Kmart locations near me has revealed that every store is open until 10 p.m. Amazing!

Online – Online retailers never close including those associated with brick and mortar businesses. This means that you can get a gift card at almost any hour although have a piece of plastic to present may not be possible. Instead, get ready to print out a receipt and included that within a Christmas card you can present on Christmas morning.

Lastly, if you’re skilled at building or baking something, your homemade gift can be a welcome item too. Besides, do you really want to hit the stores in full panic mode late this evening?

Adv. — Stop by Webreader to find free tools and downloads to help you with money management, discount shopping tips, travel and vacation, achieving success, and other life management features.  If you’re looking for online shopping bargains, please check out NBuy Shopping Plaza right now!

Tags: Christmas, Christmas shopping, fast food, Kmart, movie passes, WalMart

Who said that Christmas is a Bah! Humbug!? Why, that would be the fictitious Charles Dickens character Ebenezer Scrooge. The word “scrooge” eventually entered the English lexicon, someone who is a miserly person.

But even Scrooge eventually saw the light though it took the ghost of Robert Marley and three well timed appearances by spirits to convince him that he was on the wrong path in life. These days, we can all get caught up in the hub bub of the holiday season and forget the true meaning of the holiday – that a Savior was born—Immanuel—which means God with us.

Thankfully, there are people and businesses who understand that this is a especially important time of the year to give, a way to ease human suffering by voluntarily sharing the wealth. It may not be “Peace on Earth” right now, but there are enough hints that goodwill is being spread even under trying conditions:

Spreading Warmth – The Salvation Army now has 150,000 blankets and 30,000 pillows to distribute to those in need thanks to the men and women of Southwest Airlines. Southwest employees made this donation to the Dallas/Fort Worth Command of The Salvation Army last week, which will be supplemented by more blankets and pillows to Army facilities across the US.

“Southwest Airlines continues to partner with the Salvation Army in support of the communities we serve,” said Debra Benton, Southwest Airlines Director of Community Relations and Charitable Giving. “With the winter months upon us, we know individuals need these blankets and pillows, and we’re happy to be able to provide them.”

Spreading Cheer – The American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes teamed up to ask Americans to write letters to our troops as part of a Holiday Mail For Heroes campaign. As a result, hundreds of thousands of holiday letters will be sent to service members and veterans around the world.

“The Red Cross has just witnessed an outpouring of care for our service men and women, veterans and military families,” said Sherri Brown, senior vice president of American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces. “Americans are making sure that every one of our heroes who cannot be home for the holidays receives a card.”

Spreading Joy – It takes a large business to do big things, therefore it is no surprise that Walmart was behind an effort to help military families with donations of toys, food, books, gift cards, and gift packages. With 3,000 military parents helped and 10,000 dependents the benefit of such giving, this Christmas will be a brighter one for many.

“This has been an especially difficult year for our military families and their children. They’re not only dealing with deployments but also the economic recession,” said Operation Homefront chief executive officer, Jim Knotts. “Through the generosity of Walmart, these donated toys and books will allow the military families to provide a happy holiday for their children while using their limited resources on the vital basic needs.”

Spreading Hope – Seriously ill children and their families can feel especially alone, even isolated at Christmas. Sickness can make it difficult for people to plan and pay for their holiday celebration but thanks to a new line of celebrity designed T-shirts benefiting the Starlight Children’s Foundation, hope will brighten considerably for many.

The T-shirts are set to go on sale (retail $12.80) this Saturday in select Forever 21 stores and online at Forever21.com. Each celebrity’s original artwork will be up for auction at Starlight’s eBay store (www.ebay.com/starlight), starting Dec. 21.

“I am excited to be designing a T-shirt on behalf of Starlight and Forever 21,” said Starlight Children’s Foundation Spokesperson Corbin Bleu. “As a Starlight ambassador I have been inspired by the children and families I have had the privilege of meeting along the way, and by the strength they’ve shown in the hardest of times. I encourage everyone to get involved with Starlight and help lift the spirits of these brave children.”

You Can Help

So what can you do to make a difference this Christmas? Many things! You can visit a shut in; shovel an elderly neighbor’s sidewalk; cook a meal; bring food to a needy family; invite guests to your Christmas meal; donate money to your favorite charity; and so much more. And don’t let it stop with Christmas – let your giving heart continue to pour out all year long, spreading warmth, cheer, joy, and hope all year long.

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Sources: Southwest Airlines, American Red Cross/Pitney Bowes, Walmart, and Forever 21.

Tags: American Red Cross, Christmas giving, Forever 21, Pitney Bowes, Southwest Airlines, WalMart

My mother had a friend who was a consummate Christmas shopper. Unlike some shoppers who started to patronize stores around Thanksgiving, Eileen had her shopping done and presents wrapped early. Before Labor Day!

Not everyone can finish their shopping early nor do they want to. Eileen hated the Christmas season crowds, but loved yuletide. When the holiday season rolled around she merrily celebrated, but avoided the retail hustle and bustle. All of her shopping was done from presents to tinsel.

Black Friday

Many consumers prefer to wait until after Thanksgiving in search of the best bargains of the holiday season. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally launches shoppers out of the home and into stores, with some of the best deals of the year found at the wee hours of the morning and up until noon.

Retailers use Black Friday as a means to hook in shoppers with loss leaders which are those products sold below cost. By offering a handful of money losing items, they know that they’ll have you in the store long enough for you to pick up other displayed items. And that’s how they make their money.

Economic Woes

This year, a number of retailers are rethinking their strategy as they worry that high unemployment (10.2% in October), a vexed real estate market, and consumer angst will keep people away from their stores. You can’t spend what you don’t have and, with many consumers having reduced credit to work with, the available dollars pie has shrunk considerably.

What this means is that some stores will be holding their Black Friday specials early and often. Sears, for example, says that they are holding Black Friday specials every Saturday in November and December. This means that if you were in a Sears store this past Saturday, you may have noticed some items priced exceptionally low.

Early Shoppers

Sears is finding competition from other retailers namely Best Buy, Dell, Toys ‘R Us, WalMart, and even Saks who are running their own variations on the early sale theme. Indeed, in a recent WalMart survey the retailing behemoth learned that at least 50 percent of mothers expect to have their Christmas shopping done before the Thanksgiving dinner table is set.

Unlike last year when many goods were sold at a loss, expect retailers to carefully manage inventory and control prices. That’s because in 2008 many store owners were caught with excess inventory having stocked their shelves to the hilt or had goods on order when the stock market collapsed in September. Deals will be had in 2009, but don’t expect prices to plummet as we move closer to Christmas Day.

Though my mother has since passed away and Eileen herself moved many miles away, I’m sure that she is still shopping early. After all, when you’re good at finding specials no matter the season, then you can get everything done and enjoy the true meaning of Christmas.

Adv. — No matter who you are buying gifts for this Christmas, you can find what you want online. Visit nBuy to see our In The Home gallery as well as to find helpful party planning ideas!

Tags: Black Friday, Christmas shopping, economy, nBuy, Sears, WalMart, Yuletide