Christmas 2014 Challenge: Can I Do All My Shopping Online?
I dislike crowds. They make me anxious, and uncomfortable. Which is why I prefer sitting on my deck with close friends over going to a bar, why I prefer to go grocery shopping early in the morning or late at night, and why I absolutely dread going to the mall. Going shopping for Christmas gifts during the Holiday Season is an absolute nightmare as the traffic in every retail avenue seems to be increased exponentially. Which is exactly why I’m trying an experiment this year.
I’m going to attempt to do all of my Christmas gift shopping online.
The thought of doing all of my gift shopping without having to step foot in the mall, or to navigate the mine field that is the Walmart or Target parking lot during December is absolutely glorious. There are several reasons why doing all my shopping online appeals to me:
- No Dealing with People: I already covered this, but it’s worth mentioning again: Not only would I not have to deal with wading through crowds of people, but there would be no lines to stand in, and no grumpy cashiers to ruin my mood.
- Save Time: There would be no driving all the way across town to find out that the item I was looking for is out of stock. I would simply search online until I found a retailer that had the item I desired, and order it, AND I could do from the comfort of my own home while watching football on a Sunday afternoon.
- Save Money: So many times my wife and I are walking through a store looking for a particular item, and see something else that catches our eye. It’s not even necessarily another Christmas gift item, but something for ourselves. It’s on sale, ends up in the cart, and puts us over budget. When shopping online, you’re searching for a specific item, and not walking down unrelated aisles to find your item.
When it comes to shopping online, I’m not alone. Last year Americans spent nearly $43 billion online between Black Friday and December 22nd, and this year 54% of shoppers say they will purchase something online. But shopping online doesn’t mean that you can’t find great deals. In fact, sometimes you can find sales online that you cannot find in stores.
- In Store Sales: If they’re having a sale in store, most of the time the same prices apply online as well. It may cost you to have the item shipped to your home, but there may be the option to have it sent to the store for free. I can certainly handle walking into a store and just visiting the customer service counter, and then bolting quickly for the door.
- Special Online Deals: Many stores have sales that only apply online. For example, I received an email from a clothing retailer that my wife shops at advertising an online only sale.
- Coupon Sites: Several coupon sites have popped up that scour the internet for you and find all the best deals and coupons. One such site is Chippmunk, where you can simply select the kind of item you’re looking for, and it will show you promotions from retailers in its database.
- Online Only Stores: One present I’ll be guying this year is additional memory for my son’s gaming computer. I’m constantly getting emails from Newegg for spectacular deals on electronic parts.
Can I do it? Can I really do ALL my Christmas gift shopping online? Follow along as I give weekly updates each Friday!
Are you doing any of your shopping online this year? How much?
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Good luck and Happy Cyber Monday!
Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children, Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.
Cool challenge.
I currently do about 90% of my Christmas shopping online, but there are usually a few things that I forget and need to buy last minute (sellotape, wrapping, present for X who I forgot about…).
I’m completely with you regarding all the benefits, especially avoiding the crowds of people walking incredibly slowly around the stores!! 🙂
Good luck!
We usually do all of our Christmas shopping online. I’m with you–not a fan of crowds or spending time in stores. It’s much faster and cheaper to get everything online and I’m so grateful for Amazon!
Hubby and I have done all our Christmas shopping online for a couple of years now. The only thing we get in the stores are small stocking stuffer items. I’m so happy Al Gore invented that internet thing. 😉
90% online, only reason it’s not 100% we support our local business & they need to survive too!
@moneystepper – I could see myself forgetting something and having to run into a store….but maybe I can do it late at night. 🙂 thanks for stopping by!
@Mr.Frugalwoods – The possibilities of how much faster it is are staggering, aren’t they? No driving from place to place, no traffic, no lines, etc, etc. I’m getting more excited about it the more I think about it! thanks for reading!
@Kathy – LOL, I love a good Al Gore joke. Good for you on doing all your shopping online….I hope I can accomplish it this year, or at least get darn close!
@Belle – nothing wrong with supporting local businesses….and I’m guessing you’ll have a less chance of encountering the grumpy cashiers. 🙂