By the time you read this, it will probably be about 4 days to Christmas. If you haven’t bought your Christmas gifts yet, it’s time to face the truth. You’re probably a procrastinator. Well there’s hope for you others (this writer included) as there are many who have overcame their last minute ways to do great things.
Case in point, Tenzin Gyatso, better known as the 14th Dalai Lama. You might not have known this but he was a master procrastinator as well when he was still a student. “Only in the face of a difficult challenge or an urgent deadline would I study and work without laziness,” he muses. Obviously, he has learnt his lesson as he is now the globetrotting leader of the Tibetan people going around preaching about how being compassionate can make you truly happy. Well if he can overcome this so can you but this is not what you came here for. Here are 7 tips for last minute Christmas Shopping to help you survive this Christmas in the hopes that you will not need an article like this next year.
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Take Time to Plan
Photo by Rédacteur Tibet | Wikimedia Commons
“You must not procrastinate,” he now teaches. “Rather you should make preparations so that even if you die tonight, you would have no regrets.” A bit serious for last minute Christmas shopping but he has a point. Before you make your way to the store, draft up a list of who you’re buying the gift for the budget and all the stores you will visit so you can plan out a route. Although you will use up some time doing this, you reduce the risk of spending too much or worse, forgetting a gift for someone. If possible, shop in the morning or afternoon on the weekdays as stores usual
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Look For Wrapping Services
Time is of the essence here. Wrapping Christmas gifts will probably double your Christmas shopping time. Most big stores will offer this service for free so look for the ones that do. Alternatively you can opt for gift bags that save time and look pretty good.
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Re-Gifting
We’ll keep your dirty little secret, but there’s really shouldn’t be any shame about re-gifting something. Just make sure you don’t give it back to the same person who gave you that gift. If you got something you will never personally use as a present, it might be prefect for someone else. Not only will it free up space in your house, it’s actually more Eco-friendly as well.
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Make a Donation in Your Friend’s Name
Another thing you can do when you’re short on time is to give a donation to the charity your friend or loved one is passionate about. In our opinion, this is a rather meaningful gift as it is that time of the year when giving back is vital as it really can bring cheer to those less fortunate. There a lot of causes you can support but we really like the Giving.sg portal, a site that makes it easy for you to give to a multitude of charities.
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Avoid Clothes
To date, clothes remain one of the most returned Christmas gifts as it is hard gift to pick even when you know the person well and have a lot of time. Even if you get them something that is to their taste, it might not fit them as well and they might need to spend more time to go down and exchange their gift.
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Keep Receipts
When you are doing last minute shopping, you have relinquished the right to be very thoughtful about your gift. You may have to compromise on things like the additional features, choice of color or even your favored brand. Sometimes you need to make the best of what you can get.
However, if the person you are buying the gift for is a picky person who’s name may or might not be Karen, keep the gift receipt. The gift receipt don’t have the price tag and they make it easier to exchange the gift.
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Shop in Stores With A Wide Range of Products
Last but not least, you should shop in a store with a wide range of products. There are a few benefits to this. First, there is a wide variety for you to pick from, second there are a lot of categories you can pick from which means you can cover more of your list. Lastly, you’ll save time by getting everything from the store. We are a bit biased but you could always head down to our Retail+ stores to pick up your last minute Christmas gift. From Home products, kitchen equipment, storage and cleaning tools, bathroom essentials, mother and baby stuff, travel must haves, vanity products and more.
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Our retail stores are located at:
Tampines 1
10 Tampines Central 1, Singapore 529536
#03-12
Causeway Point
Woodlands Square, Singapore 738099
#B1-141
SingPost Center
10 Eunos Rd 8, SingPost Centre, Singapore 408600
#01-146
See you there!