NOTE: This article is Part One in a Two-Part series of articles about holiday shopping. Part Two includes information about shopping safely online, and information about getting discounts with your pruchases.
It's that time of year again. A time when we remember how important our loves ones are, a time for family to come together, a time to rejoice in the coming of a new year. And most of all... a time to violently fight the lines at the mall and be sure to get the best deal on whatever THE gift of the season is.
Ahhh, yes. The loving feeling of the holidays.
Thankfully, we now have the wonderful option of online shopping. No longer must you deal with fighting for a parking space in the crowded mall parking lot or deal with long lines at the check out. From the comfort of your own home, anyone with a credit card can point and click their way down their holiday shopping list.
Stores have quickly caught onto this trend. Most major companies and stores now offer the option of buying off their website. Places like Toys-R-Us, Macy's, Eddie Bauer and Victoria's Secret have just recently begun a huge marketing campaign to highlight their online shopping. Barnes and Noble, a company that also has a large consumer base from their stores, has been in the online shopping business for a few years as one of Amazon.com's (which is based entirely online) major competitions.
Wish Lists
I first discovered this when I was checking out Amazon.com to see what new releases were available. At the same time, I had relatives calling and emailing with demands to know what I wanted for Christmas. To save myself time, and to hopefully make life easier for them, I created a wish list from Amazon.com and then had Amazon.com send a form letter to my loved ones, inviting them to view my wish list. The system sort of works like a wedding registry. The list includes how many I want of each item. Once the quantity is met, the item is taken off the list. This helps avoid the dreaded duplicate gifts. Anytime someone whines about needing my Christmas wish list, I just ask them for their email address.
