Most big box stores including Amazon, Target and Walmart are offering same-day delivery. You will need to sign up for and pay to join their membership programs. Also, watch out for this:
“All stores will have different cut-off times, it being Christmas Eve and all,” said Kristin McGrath of RetailMeNot.com. “So make sure if you’re shopping on Christmas Eve and you like to live dangerously, that you’re checking for that cut-off and plan to be shopping early in the day.”
Or grab the gift yourself. Some retailers are offering a discount if order online and do curbside pickup. Bed Bath and Beyond offers a 20% discount.
“I would strongly urge that consumers don’t try to ship anything at this point because it’s cutting it too close,” said Trae Bodge, a smart saving expert. “So, if you are ordering online, I would opt for curbside pickup or in-store pickup.”
Often your online order can be ready for pick-up within an hour or two.
“Some stores will fulfill your curbside pickup in as little as one hour,” McGrath said. “Expect those services to be in high demand on Christmas Eve, especially if you’re shopping from somewhere that lets you get curbside pick-up on gifts and groceries because there’s going to be a lot of last-minute shopping.”
A gift card can also be your go-to. It is not as impersonal as it seems.
“You can put as much effort into buying someone the right gift card as you can the right physical gift. So think of gift cards in terms of buying them a gift card to a store, but you could buy someone if they like to cook a gift card that they can use to subscribe to Home Chef and get home meal kit deliveries. If you’re a beauty lover on your list, Birchbox is great. If you have a pet owner, there’s BarkBox.”
Some stores are offering gift cards for a discount like select Target cards are five percent off. Or try GiftCardGranny.com for gift cards at a discount.
There is always a digital gift you can send electronically. Try GiftYa.com.
“Actually gives the recipient shopping money to shop at their favorite restaurant or store,” said Bodge. “So, GiftYa is very cool. You can personalize it with a video or picture. The recipient receives a notification by text and then they go shopping.”
Just because you are buying last minute does not mean you cannot score some last-second deals.
