Procrastination Pays for Last-Minute Holiday Shoppers: Here’s How
Shop smarter and spend less days before Christmas.
Christmas is less than a week away, and it’s likely that you still have more shopping to do. Instead of panicking about finishing up this important task, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Why? It turns out that holding off on shopping until the days leading up to Christmas saves you lots of money. Many stores and businesses are offering unbeatable bargains, so you can spend less this holiday season. Whether you’re buying online or in-store, use these five smart tips to score last-minute holiday deals such as free shipping and bonus cash offers!
Stores offer bonus cash for shopping at the last-minute.
It’s the final stretch for stores to sell their holiday merchandise, and to ensure they don’t have lots of leftovers, they’re enticing shoppers to buy with bonus cash-saving offers. For example, last year at this time, Target reduced prices on many products by as much as 50 percent and gave out bonus gift cards when you purchased certain items like $10 when you spent $50 or more on LEGO toys and a $50 gift card when you purchased a 55-inch LG TV. And at Kohl’s, prices were cut on a wide array of products, including clothing and electronics, plus shoppers earned $10 in bonus Kohl’s cash for every $50 spent through December 24. To find the latest offers, visit your favorite store’s website to look through their current circular or visit SlickDeals.net and TheKrazyCouponLady.com.
Retailers provide free shipping for buying online.
Online retailers are also desperate to sell off merchandise before Christmas Day. This means major discounts on all sorts of inventory, including apparel, electronics, home goods, and jewelry. To save even more when shopping online, take advantage of easy tricks for dodging pricey last-minute shipping fees for expedited delivery. One simple method is to head to Walmart.com, which offers free two-day delivery on thousands of items with no membership fees required. Amazon Prime members can also get complimentary two-day shipping on thousands of products delivered by the popular retailer. Another option: When visiting online retailers that have brick-and-mortar locations near you, select “store pickup” at checkout. It costs far less for stores to ship to their other locations than to individual addresses, and it’s typically free for you. Your order is usually ready in as little as a few hours to a couple of days.
Credit card companies increase offers for shopping days before Christmas.
Many credit card companies and cash-back apps double and even triple the amount of bonuses you earn when shopping during the last few days before Christmas. For instance, in 2021, American Express gave customers who enrolled in their “Shop Small” promotion a $10 credit on their statement when they shopped at two participating stores ($5 per store), spending more than $10 at each one. To find these promotions, log on to your credit card’s website or open their app, look for “offers,” then tap the one you want.
Businesses give away extra bargains for spending more.
In the rush up to Christmas Eve, many businesses that offer online printable gift cards, gift-of-the-month club memberships, streaming subscriptions, event tickets, and museum memberships reduce their prices in a final effort to boost holiday sales. Last year, shoppers got $10 off when they spent $50 on a Gap gift card from Amazon.com. BestBuy.com offered $50 Domino’s e-gift cards for just $45. Cinemark movie theaters gave away a coupon for $5 toward concession stand purchases when shoppers purchased a $35 gift card. To find similar deals, visit Giftcards.com/gift-card-girlfriend and RetailMeNot.com.
Garden centers lower flower prices for decorating at the eleventh-hour.
Love live flowers? Prices on poinsettias and other seasonal plants are at their lowest at garden centers like The Home Depot and Lowe’s right now, dropping as low as 99 cents each!
A version of this article originally appeared in our print magazine, Woman’s World.
