December 20, 2002

Today began the last weekend

Today began the last weekend before Christmas. It's a time of packed stores and short tempers. This is my fifth Christmas season working in a major specialty retailer. Here are some helpful hints to make your last-minute shopping more productive.

1. Prepare a list before you head out. Have some ideas of what you're looking for. It will keep your mind busy thinking of alternatives if your first choice isn't available.
   
2. Don't expect items to be available. This past week was the last chance for retailers to get their shipments out to stores. Sure, there will be some shipments in tomorrow, Monday, and even Tuesday, but for the most part, what you see is what you get.
   
3. Which brings me to my next piece of advice. Call before you leave. Let your fingers do the walking. For example, it really stinks to brave traffic (both cars and people) only to find out the store doesn't have what you're looking for. Most bookstores and music shops do offer to hold items for at least a day so you know your trek will not be a waste of gas. Stores like to offer to hold items because there's a greater chance to get the customer in to buy something else. Why do you think all that merchandise is displayed by the cash registers?
   
4. Be patient. Lots and lots of people will be shopping the next few days. Everybody wants help, but there's only so many people working in the stores. As a bookseller, I want to make sure you find what you're looking for as quickly as possible. If I have to spend 10 minutes on one customer, that's that much less time I can help others. I want to help customers quickly and effectively.
   
5. Be nice to employees. Sure, Christmas shopping may be stressful for you, but realize that you've only spent a few days over a couple months completing your lists. People like me have been enduring customer requests since October. We will do the best we can with what we have available. If you go to my bookstore, we'll check to see if a book is in stock. If not, we'll call other stores to see if they have it. What doesn't help is a frustrated customer getting angry because we can't get the book they're looking for because they started shopping too late. (That's why it's important to have a list with alternatives in mind.)