Young shoppers peruse this year’s hot toy offering at St. Louis
Mills, a new mall in the St. Louis area. The diverse stores are
divided into neighborhoods that offer an array of eclectic
gifts.
Even the clueless couldn’t miss the ominous writing on the wall:
“Shopping days left: 18.”
The sign hung in the entry of Toys ‘R’ Us in Crestwood Mall
reminded shoppers of the days until C-Day and for those whose
watches are not synchronized with the opening and closing of their
favorite retailers, panic is beginning to build.
Surviving the gift-buying blitz requires a strategy. Plans
should be directed toward a target-rich environment, that is, many
different stores in close proximity to minimize travel time. The
best choice in St. Louis is, without a doubt, Crestwood. Kudos to
the city planners and zoning commissions for attracting the Meccas
of shopping to one condensed area: a mall, Target, Wal-Mart, Old
Navy, Best Buy and T.J. Maxx.
Battle dress and mode of attack are also crucial in successfully
carrying out the plan of attack for shopping.
Running shoes are comfortable and won’t slow a shopper down with
clunky heels or pinched toes, and while a minivan can hold more
cargo than a smaller vehicle, smaller cars win out in parking lot
battles because of their superior ability to maneuver into parking
spaces that minivans and other monstrous vehicles cannot.
That said, let the shopping begin, and may the best shopper
win.
Veteran shoppers always seem to know what gifts to give, but for
those who are barely above rookie status, a buyer’s guide is
essential.
the little ones who can’t get enough of fantasy land, check out the
Lord of the Rings action figures. Toys R Us sells everything from
electronic talking Gollums to model battle scenes, ranging in price
from $20 to $30. If there’s an aspiring chef on your list, wander
over to the Easy Bake Ovens, a perennial favorite for $20, or check
out Hershey’s Chocolate Magic for $15. The toy that melts chocolate
to be poured into candy molds looks like enough fun for even an
adult chocolate lover.
A grown-up toy store, otherwise known as Best Buy, is just down
the road from Toys R Us and is a goldmine of gifts. Portable
electronics are extremely popular gifts for children and adults
alike. Digital cameras have come down in price tremendously, and
there are now high-quality cameras available at reasonable
prices.
One of the better buys is the Olympus D560 3.2 megapixel for
$250. It has a 3X optical zoom, meaning an object that is three
feet away will only appear to be one foot away. Optical zoom is the
most important feature of a camera to consider when making a
purchase.
However, plan on spending an additional $100 or so on
accessories such as memory cards, cases and rechargeable
batteries.
Portable MP3 players are also hot items to give as gifts or put
on a list for Santa. A 128MB MP3 player runs for about $140 to
$150, depending on the brand. A unit with 128MB of memory usually
stores up to 11 hours of music, and if you go with the MPIO brand,
accessories are included. Car CD players make great gifts for
people who spend significant amounts of time in the car, such as
college students. The best deck for your buck is JDC’s KDS 890
model, which is a 50 watt unit for $140. The detachable face is
easy to use and it is equipped for use with the Sirius satellite
radio system as well as MP3s.
Low prices on lesser-known brands may be enticing, but the
safest bet is to stick with a brand you’ve heard of and is somewhat
reputable, like JVC, Sony, Panasonic or Phillips, to name a
few.
Also, open item sales can be your best friend or your worst
enemy when gift giving. They are discounted because they have been
opened and returned or may be missing packaging. Usually these
products are fine, but test them in the store before purchasing it
to be on the safe side.
For smaller gifts like Secret Santa or grab bag gifts for work,
Target is the place to be. Choose from a variety of scented
candles, picture frames, bath products, CDs and video games to suit
any occasion.
St. Louis, there are alternatives to shopping bags full of Saint
Louis University sweatshirts and coffee mugs. Try picking up a jar
of pasta sauce from one of the fine restaurants on the Hill or
shipping home Ted Drewes packed in dry ice.
A champion shopper also plans ahead and realizes the recipient
of the gift might receive duplicates or simply might not like the
gift and plans ahead with a fantastic thing called a gift
receipt.
They are essential in facilitating hassle-free post-holiday
returns and often have the store’s return policy written directly
on the receipt.
These strategic tips have been used by veteran shoppers for
years and can be used by younger shoppers to compete on the
battlefields of parking lots and shopping malls.
