When to start holiday shopping

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

Know when to start holiday shopping for the best deals and most selection

When it comes to getting the perfect holiday gift, every shopper needs to know that they can’t go looking for it on Christmas Eve and really expect to come away successful. There is literally no chance that you are going to come away with what you were looking for if you wait very long to buy it, especially if the item you are looking for is the next “hot” item.

Gadgets and computer equipment tend to fly off the shelves when they are released in the holiday season, almost as if people are in a race to gift someone the hottest toy and look like they are the best gift givers around.

Most people tend to think that the best day to start their holiday shopping is the day after Thanksgiving, because so many stores end up having huge sales. Known as Black Friday because retailers are in the black thanks to all the shopping being done, the day has become so big that websites are actually being set up to track the deals that are offered by the different stores.

This particular day isn’t actually a bad time to start shopping, you can actually save a pretty decent chunk of change if you go this route, but you can also miss out on some things if you wait this long.

The fact of the matter is that Black Friday comes at the end of November. For people who stay ahead of the game, this period of time should be when you are finishing up your shopping. Rather than starting to hit the sales, Black Friday and Cyber Monday should be when you are putting the finishing touches on your list.

So what is the answer to the question of when to start holiday shopping? The answer is really that you should start holiday shopping in October or even September. If you are looking for the biggest and the best toys and games and gadgets then you need to get on them quickly. Most companies start releasing products they want to see good sales numbers on at the end of September and the beginning to middle of October. You should plan to have the money set aside so that you can purchase these items as soon as they are available or at least available for pre-order.

People assume that most of the big shopping isn’t done until November or late October, but these days, everyone has begun shopping just a little bit earlier. The more popular the items, the faster they will be flying off the shelves. Some companies don’t even realize just how popular an item will be and don’t prepare to have enough in stock. This can be a bit of a problem when you want to go buy that big gift in November, only to find that it isn’t available until after the Christmas and Hanukkah.

You can even start buying your Holiday shopping list earlier than September if the items you are looking for aren’t the newest hot gadget. No one wants to plan out a wonderful Holiday shopping spree only to find out that you don’t have enough money because of what other bills have popped up. If you buy a little here and a little there over the course of the year, you will be able to take less of a hit in the wallet at one time.

Keep an eye out over the course of the year for things you think people will like. You can stockpile these items and have them ready to go when it is time to wrap them up and give them out. This approach also means that you have less of a chance to forget one item or another if you buy them when you see that special someone notice an item. Everyone gets happier and stays happier if you aren’t trying to get everything all at once.