5 tips for doing last minute Christmas shopping

It’s the same every year – you left it late, too late and you find yourself trudging around the streets of London during the late afternoon on Christmas Eve, vainly searching for that perfect last minute present. Don’t despair, there are ways of doing last minute shopping that don’t involve blood sweat and tears! Here are 5 top tips for doing last minute Christmas shopping.

DON’T PANIC

As Lance-Corporal Jones would say… Panicking is just about the worst thing you could do and will result in you overspending on some mad buy that the recipient won’t even like. Keep yourself calm by listening to classical music as you walk around the shops and if you’re naturally quite nervous, avoid large crowds or anything else that will cause you to get stressed during your shopping trip.

MAKE A PLAN

It’s better to sit down for half an hour and do some research on gifts, and the area you want to shop in, than it is to rush out of the house in a mad rush, with absolutely no plan formulated for your shopping trip. By researching where to buy certain items, when to buy them and ensuring that they won’t be sold out when you get to the shop – you’ll save yourself a hell of a lot of hassle.

PREPARE FOR A FIGHT

The fact is the best value gifts will always be the ones that are most sought after and to get them at such short notice is incredibly difficult. You might not be literally fighting over the PS4s in the store but you’ll almost certainly have run-ins with other customers, passengers on public transport and jobsworth shop assistants. The way to deal with all of this… as that hackneyed old maxim states; ‘Keep calm and carry on.’

SCOUT OUT AN AREA FOR SHOPPING

If you know London at all you’ll know that Oxford Street is the last place you want to go to do your Christmas Shopping. Most people, if they’re based in London will have special areas that they’ll try to go to for their Christmas shopping. Kingston is a personal favourite; the outer-London borough is perfect for shopping that isn’t overly specific and everything is close together, enabling you to nip in and out of shops with comparative ease. If, of course, you’re shopping outside of London – you can consider yourself to be very lucky indeed.

BRING SUPPORT

If you have a friend or family member who has already done their Christmas shopping, they may well provide good moral – and practical – support when you’re out and about. They won’t be feeling the stress and pressure that you’re feeling, so they’ll be able to offer objective advice about what you should and shouldn’t be buying. If you’re using public transport which is very likely if you’re shopping in London or other big cities, they’ll also be able to help you carry all the gifts.