Early start can ease the pain of holiday shopping

  • By Nedra Rhone The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  • Friday, November 16, 2012 3:17pm
  • Business

Planning ahead isn’t always easy, particularly when it comes to holiday shopping. But this year, almost 40 percent of U.S. consumers started holiday shopping well before Nov. 1, according to a survey from Ipsos Public Affairs and RetailMeNot.

Fee-free layaway programs that let consumers shop with cash instead of credit and reservation programs that allow shoppers to reserve hot items have already led to shortages in toys, small appliances and apparel, said Brian Hoyt, a writer for RetailMeNot.com, the consumer coupon and deal code website. “If you see the blender or microwave that you really like or the toy your kid wants, I would go and buy that now because it might not be there later,” Hoyt said.

What else can you do to make the most of early holiday shopping? Follow this advice from the pros.

Advance buying decisions

Josh Elledge, founder of SavingsAngel.com, a consumer couponing site, says don’t change your game plan when you walk in the store. “Everything is designed in a retail environment to drive up sales,” he said. “If we make decisions ahead of time, we can make rational decisions.” That includes making a list and setting a budget for the items you need to buy as well as researching the retailers that carry those items.

Always comparison shop

Starting early doesn’t mean losing out on major deals. “Consumers should really check out comparison shopping sites such as PriceGrabber.com,” Hoyt said. But don’t stop there. Next, visit a site like RetailMeNot.com to find a coupon or code that will bring the total cost lower. You don’t want the lowest price; you want the lowest total cost.

Year-round freebies

Stephanie Nelson, aka Coupon Mom, suggests stocking up on free deals and bargains throughout the year to use as practical, inexpensive holiday gifts. Battery-powered toothbrushes and toothpaste, razors and aftershave, and cosmetics make great stocking stuffers for kids, men and women, respectively, Elledge said. These items can be purchased anytime at little or no cost with coupons.

Use layaway

Experts agree, taking advantage of fee-free layaway makes sense because it allows you to spread the cost of items you want over time. Some stores will match price drops for items in layaway. Kmart, for example, will match internal price reductions for seven days and will ship items to your home when layaway is paid. Be sure you understand each store’s policies and don’t buy more than you planned simply because you have more time to pay.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Business

Black Press Media operates Sound Publishing, the largest community news organization in Washington State with dailies and community news outlets in Alaska.
Black Press Media concludes transition of ownership

Black Press Media, which operates Sound Publishing, completed its sale Monday (March 25), following the formerly announced corporate restructuring.

Maygen Hetherington, executive director of the Historic Downtown Snohomish Association, laughs during an interview in her office on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Snohomish, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Maygen Hetherington: tireless advocate for the city of Snohomish

Historic Downtown Snohomish Association receives the Opportunity Lives Here award from Economic Alliance.

FILE - Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs poses in front of photos of the 15 people who previously held the office on Nov. 22, 2021, after he was sworn in at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Hobbs faces several challengers as he runs for election to the office he was appointed to last fall. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs: ‘I wanted to serve my country’

Hobbs, a former Lake Stevens senator, is the recipient of the Henry M. Jackson Award from Economic Alliance Snohomish County.

Mark Duffy poses for a photo in his office at the Mountain Pacific Bank headquarters on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Mark Duffy: Building a hometown bank; giving kids an opportunity

Mountain Pacific Bank’s founder is the recipient of the Fluke Award from Economic Alliance Snohomish County.

Barb Tolbert poses for a photo at Silver Scoop Ice Cream on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Barb Tolbert: Former mayor piloted Arlington out of economic brink

Tolbert won the Elson S. Floyd Award, honoring a leader who has “created lasting opportunities” for the underserved.

Photo provided by 
Economic Alliance
Economic Alliance presented one of the Washington Rising Stem Awards to Katie Larios, a senior at Mountlake Terrace High School.
Mountlake Terrace High School senior wins state STEM award

Katie Larios was honored at an Economic Alliance gathering: “A champion for other young women of color in STEM.”

The Westwood Rainier is one of the seven ships in the Westwood line. The ships serve ports in the Pacific Northwest and Northeast Asia. (Photo provided by Swire Shipping)
Westwood Shipping Lines, an Everett mainstay, has new name

The four green-hulled Westwood vessels will keep their names, but the ships will display the Swire Shipping flag.

A Keyport ship docked at Lake Union in Seattle in June 2018. The ship spends most of the year in Alaska harvesting Golden King crab in the Bering Sea. During the summer it ties up for maintenance and repairs at Lake Union. (Keyport LLC)
In crabbers’ turbulent moment, Edmonds seafood processor ‘saved our season’

When a processing plant in Alaska closed, Edmonds-based business Keyport stepped up to solve a “no-win situation.”

Angela Harris, Executive Director of the Port of Edmonds, stands at the port’s marina on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, in Edmonds, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Leadership, love for the Port of Edmonds got exec the job

Shoring up an aging seawall is the first order of business for Angela Harris, the first woman to lead the Edmonds port.

The Cascade Warbirds fly over Naval Station Everett. (Sue Misao / The Herald file)
Bothell High School senior awarded $2,500 to keep on flying

Cascade Warbirds scholarship helps students 16-21 continue flight training and earn a private pilot’s certificate.

Rachel Gardner, the owner of Musicology Co., a new music boutique record store on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. Musicology Co. will open in February, selling used and new vinyl, CDs and other music-related merchandise. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Edmonds record shop intends to be a ‘destination for every musician’

Rachel Gardner opened Musicology Co. this month, filling a record store gap in Edmonds.

MyMyToyStore.com owner Tom Harrison at his brick and mortar storefront on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burst pipe permanently closes downtown Everett toy store

After a pipe flooded the store, MyMyToystore in downtown Everett closed. Owner Tom Harrison is already on to his next venture.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.