Early Holiday Shopping Reduces Stress
When you read, you have 85 days left to shop, do you think, “Oh, I have plenty of time!” or do you start feeling the stress of Holiday shopping?
My Past Holiday Shopping Experiences
Before I started VirtuArte, I worked for a multinational corporation and traveled extensively. The end of the year was a crazy time, and I didn’t start to think about my Holiday shopping until two or three days before Christmas. I never took the time to reflect upon what I was going to give anyone on my list. I would go to the shopping mall, the stores would be crowded with people, and I would wander from store to store, hoping to see something that would make a good gift for someone on my list.
I never knew what I was looking for, but I did know I had to have something to give everyone on my list. As Christmas Day drew closer and closer, I became more and more desperate. I would end up buying items I saw and then try to fit the items to the individuals on my list. Sometimes this worked out well, but most of the time I would see disappointment when my gift was opened. The whole experience from going shopping to seeing my gift being opened was not enjoyable.
A VirtuArte Holiday Shopping Experience
Last month, I sent an email to my customer Katie asking to set up a call with her to begin discussing her year-end gifts. Last year was the first time Katie had worked with VirtuArte to select her year-end gifts. She still talks about the reactions and thank yous she received from her clients and friends. From the wrapping to the handwritten card to the gift itself, each person knew that Katie had spent time specifically selecting the gift for him or her.
Katie and I had our call. My objective for the call was to get Katie to begin thinking about and take the initial steps for her Holiday shopping. During our discussion, Katie told me she will be increasing the number of gifts she is giving this year. We spoke about whom she gave gifts to last year, the items she gave, and the price points.
The Holiday Gifting Process
The first step for Katie is to put together the list of people she is going to give gifts to this year. Once she has finished her list, Katie will then write down by each person’s name interests, hobbies, places they’ve traveled to, etc., to help me identify potential gift options. In the meantime, I will put together a list of items Katie gave last year and the prices to help her formulate her budget for this year’s gifts. I will also send her photographs of new products as they arrive. Starting now will reduce the stress of Holiday shopping for Katie and will ensure that I will be able to get the items she chooses well before December.
Tips for Reducing Stress
Giving a gift is a way of showing someone how much you appreciate him or her as an individual, whether in a business or personal relationship. The process of selecting that gift should be enjoyable, not stressful. Here are some tips for reducing Holiday shopping stress:
Before you go to a shopping mall or surf the Internet:
- Make a list of all the people you are thinking about giving a year-end gift to
- After each person’s name, list information about them, such as interests, hobbies, places they’ve traveled to, colors they like or wear, etc. This will help you think of possible gifts
- Write down a couple of gift options for each person. This will help you narrow down the number of stores you will visit
Now you know:
- To whom are you going to give gifts to,
- Possible gift options for each person, and
- Where you need to go to find those gifts.
All of this is done before you leave your house or hit “Search” on your web browser. You are now ready to start shopping. To further reduce that stress, don’t wait until the last minute; start your shopping as soon as you possibly can.
In the comments below, let me know how you’ve dealt with your Holiday shopping in the past. I’d love to hear about your experience!
If you would like assistance brainstorming Holiday gift options, contact me, Debbie Myers, at (202) 297-9524 or by e-mail at dmyers@virtuarte.com. I would be happy to help you.
