The COVID-19 pandem ic might not be over, but for much of the world, its darkest days are well in the rearview mirror. Despite that progress, a few lin gering non-medical issues remain, including supply shortages.
Consumers across the globe have been forced to contend with supply short ages since the early days of the pandemic, and that same issue could cause problems this holiday sea son. Holiday shoppers can consider these tips as they try to navigate their way through another holiday season that could be affect ed by global supply chain issues.
• Shop local. By midspring 2022, the National Retail Federation indicat
ed that congestion at ports on the west coast of the United States had lessened significantly. But the NRF noted that the same could not be said for ports on the east coast.
Many big box retailers rely on imports to fill their shelves, and that could make it hard for such sell ers to deliver items in time for the holiday season. Shopping local and buying items directly off the shelf can ensure no one is given an IOU this holiday season.
• Give gift cards. If ship ping estimates make it un likely that gifts will arrive on time for the holiday sea son, pivot to gift cards. Put the amount of money you would have spent on the item on the card instead. For example, if an e-reader
costs $150, give a $150 gift card in its place.
• Ship directly to recipi ents. It might not offer the same heartwarming charm as handing a loved one a gift in person, but shipping gifts directly to their recip ients increases the likeli hood that the person will receive the gift by Chanu kah or Christmas morning. Many online retailers now offer wrapping at addition al cost, and shoppers can splurge and have directly shipped gifts wrapped to add a more traditional feel to gift-giving.
• Give homemade gifts. Homemade gifts, whether it’s baked goods or crafts, don’t need to be shipped, so there’s no way such items will spend the hol iday season sitting on a
ship in a congested port. If you choose to make crafts, decide early what you want create so you can secure all of the necessary supplies in plenty of time to deliver the items during Chanukah or on Christ
mas morning.
Supply shortages could make for a tricky holiday season again this year. Planning ahead for such shortages can ensure gifts make it into the hands of loved ones without delay.
Consumers spent more on Cyber Monday in 2021 than on Black Friday.
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Savvy shoppers recog nize the value of compari son shopping. By compar ing prices of the same or similar products at various retailers, consumers can save considerable amounts of money. That’s especial ly true during the holiday season, when shoppers are looking for items for every one on their shopping list and hoping to find them without breaking the bank.
Though comparison shopping may fall short of being a science, skilled shoppers know that some proven methods can great ly increase the chances of finding gifts that will make loved ones’ eyes light up this holiday season.
• Track prices over time. Successful comparison shopping takes time and patience, as savvy shoppers recognize that prices on an array of items fluctuate over time. Holiday shop pers should not wait until the unofficial beginning of the holiday season to start tracking prices, as that leaves little time for prices to change. The earlier you start, the better a feel you’ll develop for how much an item might cost and how much the item might come down in price before it’s time to pounce.
• Establish a price you’re comfortable paying. It’s beneficial to determine a price you’re comfortable paying for each item when comparison shopping during the holiday season. This reduces the chances that you’ll delay buying an item until it’s too late to find a bargain. If you set prices you’re comfortable paying and items hit that mark, then purchase them right away and shift your attention to gifts for others on your list.
• Utilize alerts. Various comparison shopping sites allow users to set up email alerts that can inform them
when items are being sold for a certain price deter mined by the shopper. Uti lizing these alerts essential ly lets the comparison tool do the work for you. Once you receive an alert, all you need to do is purchase the item.
• Ask around. Technolo gy has made it simpler than ever to comparison shop, but it’s important that hol iday shoppers do not dis count the value of wordof-mouth shopping. When speaking to neighbors or loved ones, ask if there are any local businesses that offer great deals or websites that they rely on to find bud get-friendly items. Word-ofmouth shopping was once the norm, and it can still pay dividends when look ing for holiday gifts.
Comparison shopping is a must for budget-con scious holiday shoppers. Various strategies can help shoppers score great deals without feeling as though an item could have been found for less at a different retailer.
• Start comparison shop ping early. In addition to the rising cost of living, modern consumers also must contend with supply shortages and shipping delays. Shopping early is a great way to get around those lingering effects of the pandemic, and it also affords shoppers more time to find great deals. Com parison shopping sites like
Shopzilla.com make it easy to comparison shop by breaking items down into categories and producing a list of vendors and prices for an assortment of prod ucts. Utilizing these sites and shopping early is a great way to find bargains.
• Shop on consumer hol idays. Black Friday used to be the only game in town in regard to holiday bargains. Consumers can still find great deals on Black Friday and also benefit from re duced prices on days such as Cyber Monday and even Prime Day, which is a twoday event from the online retailer Amazon that oc curs in summer.
• Attend local holiday ba zaars and markets. One of the great things about hol iday bazaars and markets is that many of the busi nesses that set up shop at these events are local. They also tend to sell an array of items, including small items that can easily fit into shoppers’ holiday budgets.
• Pool your resources. Another way to get around rising costs this holiday season is to pool your shop ping resources with anoth er friend or family member. The cost of a new tablet for a parent can be easier to bear if it’s split with a sib ling.
The holiday season could be especially expensive this year, but there are still bar gains to be had and ways to rein in costs.
Giving an experience to a loved one this holi day season is a great and unique way to show that person how much they’re loved. The popularity of experiential gifts is un deniable, with one recent report from the market research firm Mintel in dicating that roughly 50 percent of individuals surveyed prefer such gifts to tangible items.
Experiential gifts are those that focus on ex periences rather than items. These can include anything from a horse back riding adventure to a spa day to concert tick ets to getting behind the wheel of a race car.
Experiential gifts can be tailored to people’s in terests. A 2014 study by researchers at San Fran cisco State University showed people tend to realize greater well-be ing from life experiences and consider them to be a better way to spend their money. Overall satisfac tion tends to be greater with gifted experienc es than with material things.
Furthermore, the Har ris Group found that 72%
of millennials want to spend more money on ex periences than things.
One problem holiday gift givers may need to confront when giving ex periential gifts concerns their presentation.
A tangible item can be boxed and wrapped, but how can gift givers put a bow and ribbon on an ex perience? The solution to that may require a little creativity on the part of gift givers. The category a gift fits into can provide some inspiration when looking for ways to pres ent experiential gifts.
• Travel gifts: When gifting the experience of travel this holiday sea son, gift givers can wrap airline tickets or itinerar ies in a map of the locale where recipients will be going. When contributing to a general travel fund or gifting airline miles, con sider placing a note in side an atlas or attaching it to a desktop globe.
• Sports gifts: Let the sport dictate how a gift is presented when giv ing tickets to a game. For example, if a loved one is getting tickets to a baseball game, place the
tickets inside a new baseball mitt. The gift of golf lessons can be presented alongside a new putter.
• Dance lessons: The gift of dance les sons encourages peo ple to have fun and get a little exercise along the way. This gift can be presented to recipients in any number of ways, in cluding inside ballet shoes or even accom panied by food. After all, who wouldn’t get a kick out of finding out they’ve been giv en salsa lessons after finding a jar of salsa in their stocking?
• Escape room: Ad mission to an escape room is a very popular experiential gift. Gift givers can get recip ients in the spirit of the gift by creating a scavenger hunt where the prize to find is a printout explaining the gift and all its pertinent details, such as the date and time of the event.
• Foodie gifts: For food ies who can’t wait to visit the newest dining hotspot in town, place a gift certif
There’s no shortage of experiences that can benefit children’s lives. That’s something holiday shoppers can keep in mind as they shop for the perfect gifts for youngsters on their shopping list this December.
icate inside an oven mitt or wrap it around a bot tle of wine. When giving cooking lessons, wrap an explanation of the gift in side a new apron or place
it inside a new sauce pot the recipient can use when it comes time to put their newfound culinary skills to work.
The popularity of ex
periential gifts is unde niable. In its 2021 Winter Holiday Shopping Report, the market research firm
Mintel revealed that nearly half of individuals surveyed for the report felt that experiential gifts are superior to tangible items. Such preferences are something holiday shoppers can keep in mind as they pursue the perfect gift for their loved ones.
Experiential gifts are often associated with adults and their bucket lists, but kids have much to gain from being gifted experiences as well. In addition to the lasting memories inspired by experiential gifts, such offerings also get kids up and out of the house. Parents recognize that’s not always so easy in the digital age.
Though children likely don’t have a bucket list that can make it easy for hol iday shoppers to find the perfect experiential gift, the following are a number of experiences that kids of all ages can enjoy:
• A day at the zoo
• A trip to a trampoline park or bouncy house fa cility
• Tickets to a sporting event, concert or live show
• Music lessons
• A paint and sip (juice)
event with one or both parents
• Cooking lessons
• A day at a nearby na tional park
• A camping trip
• Horseback riding les sons
• A day at a nearby amusement park
• A day at a local arcade
• A day at a local muse um with interactive ex hibits
• A helicopter ride
• Art lessons
• A day on the ski slopes
• A day on the beach
• Gymnastics lessons/ classes
• A day at the local bowl ing alley with friends
• Ice skating lessons
• A round of mini golf
• Jewelry-making les sons/classes
• A fishing trip on a nearby body of water
Individuals who were lucky enough to find a new home this year may discover they now have little money to outfit those homes. Shoppers with new homeowners on their hol iday shopping lists may want to help those loved ones outfit their homes this season. The following are some home-related gift ideas to get shoppers start ed.
• Video/smart doorbell: Although the smart door bell market began with only a handful of options, there’s now a bevy of man ufacturers who make video and smart home doorbells. These doorbells serve the dual purpose of alerting homeowners to someone at the door, while providing surveillance of the com
ings and goings outside of the home. Depending on the product, a subscription may be needed to access video history. Doorbells range from $50 to $200 and more depending on fea tures and resolution.
• Furniture gift card: There’s a good chance new homeowners will need to furnish new rooms in a home, particularly if they’re coming from an apartment or a smaller place. Many people also like to update furnishings when they move into new places. A gift card to a pop ular furniture store in the area will provide the headstart new homeowners need to secure sofas, din ing sets, lamps, rugs, and more.
• Household tool kit:
What better way to pre pare new homeowners for the do-it-yourself projects and household repairs than with a tool kit? Home improvement retailers of ten package common tools needed in carrying cases or sets, but shoppers can grab separate items they think will be used and group them together into one gift. Pli ers, screwdrivers, wrench es, a level, and measuring tape are good starter tools.
• Customized doormat: Give that new home addi tional curb appeal with a doormat customized with a special message or the new homeowners’ names, such as Welcome to the Smith Home. Other customize able products include cutting boards and wall plaques.
Experiential gifts shift the emphasis from tan gible items to building memories through expe riences. Various studies have indicated that the memories gained through experiences may surpass the exhilaration and hap piness of receiving a ma terial item. What’s more, experiential gifts may be something that people can share together — ex panding the possibilities of gift-giving even fur ther.
There are many differ ent experiences to accom modate people’s specific interests. People who enjoy spending time in the kitchen will undoubt edly be excited by these food-related experiential gifts.
What better way to enjoy a passion for cooking than by learning more about techniques and terminolo gy? Culinary classes can be the perfect avenue through which to gain more experi ence and instruction from professionals.
While it’s possible to enroll in a culinary school if the goal is to change ca reers, many different pri vate classes are ideal for hobbyists, such as cake decorating lessons to class es catering to children and teens.
Attend a show
Food as entertainment was first made popular by legendary television per sonality Julia Child. Child paved the way for many others, including profes sionally trained chefs and those like Rachael Ray, who honed her self-taught skills through experience. Network food shows often tape in metropolitan ar eas like New York and Los Angeles. Research how to purchase tickets and give the experience of being an
To promote local busi nesses, many cities and
towns with strong hospi tality markets organize seasonal restaurant tasting tours. For a predetermined price, participants gain entry to various establish
ments offering samples of their offerings. Gift-givers can purchase entry to these events, gifting a few people at the same time. Then the group can sip and nibble the day away.
Treat someone to a pro fessionally prepared meal in his or her own home. Private caterers and per sonal chefs will sometimes offer their services and walk guests through the
making of a meal — pre paring it right before their eyes in one person’s home. It’s a great way to learn technique and gather with a few other lucky people to enjoy a delicious meal at home with little effort.
Food-based experiential gifts can treat any foodie to special memories that last a lifetime.
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The thrill of sports has inspired billions of loyal fans and athletes across the globe. Professional, collegiate, scholastic, and even recreational sports entertain people all year long. That popularity is something shoppers can keep in mind as they look for the perfect gift for the family sports fan this holi day season.
Many adults undoubted ly recall receiving sports equipment as a holiday gift when they were children. Whether it’s a baseball mitt or a field hockey stick or a new ball, these gifts tend to light up kids’ eyes come Christmas morning. Adult sports fans may not need such equipment, but they might be just as excit ed to receive these unique sports experiences this hol iday season.
• Tickets: For diehard sports fans, nothing is bet ter than going to the big game. Perhaps in acknowl edgment of the growing
popularity of following a favorite team on the road, many professional sports leagues now release team schedules months in ad vance of the first game of the season. For exam ple, the National Football League released its 2022 schedule in mid-May, de spite the fact that the sea son does not begin until September. Shoppers can peruse schedules and cir cle a must-see home game or lay the foundation for a memorable trip by giving tickets to a road game.
• Stadium tour: Stadium tours are another great ex perience the family sports fan will undoubtedly ap preciate. Many profes sional sports teams now welcome fans to tour their stadiums both in-season and during the offseason. These tours offer a behindthe-scenes look at stadi ums, arenas and ballparks. Teams may even host tours on game days, making this a great stocking stuffer to
pair with tickets to a game.
• Fan fest: Fan fest tick ets make an ideal gift for individuals who can be accurately described as “diehards” for their fa vorite teams. These fami ly-friendly gatherings tend to happen in the weeks leading up to the start of a new season. A handful of current and former players typically attend fan fests, which are hosted by the team and typically include activities for adults and children alike.
• Lessons: Holiday shop pers may have a sports fan on their list who still enjoys lacing up their cleats. For example, pro golf fans may still enjoy hitting the links themselves. In such instanc es, lessons from a nearby golf pro can be just the thing to make sports fans smile this holiday season.
Sports experiences make an ideal gift for indi viduals whose passion for a favorite team is a big part of their life.
Certain people feel right at home in the great out doors. With the sun on their faces and the wind in their hair, rock scramblers and kayaking buffs simply can’t get enough of being outside in the elements.
Outdoor enthusiasts need reliable gear to make their experiences that much more enjoyable.
Brandon Gaille Small Busi ness & Marketing Advice reports that $230.6 billion was spent worldwide on sportswear and outdoor ap parel in 2021.
However, there’s always room to improve on adven tures large and small, and holiday shoppers can keep these items in mind as they look for items for their fa vorite nature lover this season.
• Plasma lighter: A plas ma lighter can start fires in conditions that aren’t con ducive to other fire-starting measures. Plasma lighters are water- and wind-resis tant and work in nearly all weather conditions. Saberlight even makes a rechargeable option with
USB charging cable.
• Lantern: Outside mag azine recently named the BioLite AlpenGlow 250 as its new favorite road trip item. It can be used in a va riety of settings, including inside a tent or at a hunt ing cabin, and produces customizable illumination.
• Backpack cooler: Yeti is known as a leader in cool ers, and the Yeti Hopper Backflip Soft Cooler makes carrying food and beverag es even more convenient. This product is a backpack and a cooler, so it’s a handsfree and portable option when out in nature.
• Hiking socks: Keeping feet cool and comfortable is essential on hiking trips. Injinji socks are made from CoolMax fibers that help provide a blister-free wilderness experience de signed to minimize fric tion.
• Waterproof backpack: Whether a loved one spends time in or near the water or just wants to safe guard his or her belong ings in inclement weather, a waterproof backpack is
the ideal outdoor gift. It’s easy to clean and keeps items inside dry. IDRYBAG Waterproof Backpack is one to consider.
• Lightweight sleeping bag: Maybe someone’s sleeping gear needs an overhaul? Enlightened Equipment offers an 850fill, zero-degree sleeping bag that is warm, but only weighs 1.5 pounds. That helps free up space and lessens hikers’ loads when carrying gear on the trail.
• Power bank/solar char ger: Many people can’t live without their devices, even when out in the great out doors. Since you can’t plug a phone into a tree, a porta ble solar charger and pow er bank is key. The BioLite SolarPanel 5+ comes with its own built-in battery, so a person can capture the sun’s rays during the day and save some power re serves for charging after sunset.
These are just a few of the innovative items that can appeal to outdoor en thusiasts on your holiday shopping list.