Shopping Tips
This time of year is bread-and-butter season for artists and brick-and-mortars, as well as many non-profit organizations. It means a great deal to the entrepreneur and non-profit community when you choose to support for handmade, indie, and local businesses and NPOs with your purchases.
Please be patient with and plan for manufacturing and shipping times as both the supply chains and transportation segments are experiencing hiccups and delays. Small businesses are often mom-and-pops with young kids in the mix which means that they are juggling childcare, impromptu cyber school situations and quarantines, and the like while trying to problem-solve covid business impacts and keep their business operational.
When my young niece pretend-plays Teacher, she is fond of saying , “You get what you get.” when passing out her classroom supplies. But when it comes to shopping for loved ones, you want gifts that are special and not just what happened to be leftover on the store shelves. These helpful tips will ensure you get everything checked off your gift shopping list and that they arrive in time for the holiday gift-giving season:
SHOP AND PLACE ORDERS NOW TO AVOID THE HOLIDAY MAYHEM. Most shops begin receiving their holiday inventory in August. If you follow a particular artist or are looking for a particular item and don’t see it on the shop floor, ask the shop manager if they have it in their inventory storage.
SHOP OFTEN. Inventory is often received daily, sometimes even multiple times a day, during this time of year. Visit your favorite art boutiques on a regular basis to be sure to see all of their offerings.
ASK TO BE CONTACTED WHEN AN OUT OF STOCK ITEM IS BACK IN STOCK. Ask the shop manager if they can contact you when a particular artists’ work or new inventory of an item is received. Some shops will even let you purchase an item in advance to ensure that you get the item that you want.
READ ONLINE SHOPS’ HOME PAGES AND BANNERS CAREFULLY FOR SHIPPING INFORMATION, SHOPPING INCENTIVES, AND GIFT WRAP OPTIONS. Often on the main page, there will be a banner with essential information posted, such as current shipping times. On Etsy, you can even filter your search so that it sorts by the Estimated Arrival needed. If you set your searches to Local, sellers sometimes offer local delivery and pickups. Many shops are offering early bird incentives (coupons codes, discounts, BOGO deals, free gift with purchase) to place orders now before the holiday shopping rush really kicks in. Some shops will post gift wrap solutions and options.
SCOUR CALENDARS, BULLETIN BOARDS, AND EVENTS LISTINGS. Visit your local arts council website calendar, church and community bulletin boards, and magazine and newspaper event listings for holiday open houses, craft shows, arts festivals, light up nights, tree lighting ceremonies, shop crawls, gallery nights, online marketplaces, flea markets, and estate sales. They often have the best selection of unique and handmade gifts. Make note of any registration requirements, early bird passes, previews, and masking/vaccine mandates. Shopping early at these events often means the best selection. Shopping later in the event is less crowded, and it’s often easier to find parking.
ATTEND HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSES. This is probably the most festive time to shop. Often held on a city’s light up night or on Small Business Saturday, holiday cheer is in abundance as shops pull out all the stops. There is often delicious food, drink, music, and swag bags, and sometimes even visits from Santa Claus and his elves, carolers, and special discounts. Plus, most artists try to have their merchandise in stock in time for the holiday open house as it is one of the biggest sales days of the year.
KNOW YOUR DATES:
Diwali - Thursday, November 4th (Festival - Tuesday, November 2nd through Saturday, November 6th)
Thanksgiving - Thursday, November 25th
Black Friday / Shop Nothing Day - Friday, November 26th
Small Business Saturday - Saturday, November 27th
Hanukkah - Sunday, November 28th through Monday, December 6th
Cyber Monday - Monday, November 29th
Giving Tuesday - Tuesday, November 30th
St. Nicholas Eve - Sunday, December 5th
St. Nicholas Day - Monday, December 6th
Winter Solstice - Tuesday, December 21st
Christmas Eve - Friday, December 24th
Christmas Day - Saturday, December 25th
Kwanzaa - Sunday, December 26th through Saturday, January 1st
Boxing Day / St. Stephen’s Day - Sunday, December 26th
New Year’s Eve - Friday, December 31st
New Year’s Day - Saturday, January 1st
Twelfth Night - Wednesday, January 5th
Epiphany - Thursday, January 6th on the Gregorian (Roman) calendar or Wednesday, January 19th on the Julian (Orthodox) calendar.
Chinese / Lunar New Year (Year of the Tiger) - Tuesday, February 1st
EXCHANGE GIFTS EARLY. Give holiday cards and gifts with people at gatherings, like after Thanksgiving dinner, to avoid having to mail or ship them later.
EXCHANGE GIFTS LATER. Delaying your holiday gift exchanges to New Year’s Eve or Day, Twelfth Night (Eve of Epiphany), Three Kings / Epiphany, and/or Chinese / Lunar New Year celebrations will buy you more time to shop or ship, and allow you to take advantage of post-holiday sales.
GIVE SPECIAL MEMORIES BY SUPPORTING YOUR FAVORITE NPOs. Consider purchasing from NPOs’ shops and giving gifts, such as:
holiday event tickets and admissions
symphony, theater, concert, and exhibit tickets
zoo and museum memberships
animal encounters and behind-the-scenes tours
member supported radio (think NPR) and television (think PBS) station memberships
donations made in honor or memory of someone
adopting an endangered animal in someone’s name
classes, workshops, or lecture series
shop gift certificates or gift cards
THEME YOUR GIFTS OR GIFT EXCHANGES TO MAKE SHOPPING SIMPLER. Shopping for many people can be overwhelming, and sometimes the shops’ are so packed full of merchandise and other shoppers, that it can be hard to know where to begin. Theming your gift lists can help focus which sections and aisles to shop. Viewing themed collections online, like those in my blog—KurateKate—can give you some great gift giving ideas.
