The 2020 holiday shopping season was one of the most challenging on record. Things are about to get even trickier. The USPS recently announced that there will be new service standards for first-class mail which could mean slower and more expensive shipping this year.
To support your 2021 online holiday shopping success, Gallery Leather has put together a list of top tips that can help ensure you’re meeting your goals:
1. Start early.
It’s common advice for a reason. The earlier you do your holiday sIt’s common advice for a reason. The earlier you do your holiday shopping, the greater the likelihood that you’ll be successful.
However, this year getting started on holiday shopping early is more important than ever. See how much less stressful your holiday shopping can be this year if you get started a month or more ahead of your target holiday.
2. Set a target date to have your shopping completed.
Shopping with Christmas or another specific holiday as a deadline can be a recipe for failure because you run the risk of underestimating the amount of time it will take for your gift to make it through all steps of the fulfillment and shipping process.
For example, if your merchant offers a shipping estimate that shows a package is likely to arrive on Christmas Eve and an unforeseen shipping delay occurs, your package will now most certainly be late. This can cause you a lot of needless frustration.
Instead, plan to have shopping wrapped up with plenty of time left for all your gifts to arrive a week or so before the holiday. If you’re ordering gifts to your house before giving them to others, this should give you enough time to wrap them. If you’re ordering a gift directly to the recipient’s house, this will provide enough time for extra steps such as a post office pick-up.
3. Know the shipping deadlines for your carriers, merchants, & location.
Once you’ve identified a workable deadline that leaves you some extra time in case of the unforeseen, do a bit of research into the vendors’ shipping deadlines.
Here are Gallery Leather’s Shipping Deadlines for the 2021 holiday season:
- Standard Ground Shipping for personalized orders – 12/10/21
- Standard Ground Shipping for non-personalized orders – 12/14/21
- 3rd Day Shipping – 12/20/21
- 2nd Day Shipping – 12/21/21
- Next Day Shipping – 12/22/21
4. Consider upgrading your shipping.
Many retailers offer free shipping of some kind for orders above a certain value. For much of the year, this covers most customers’ general online shopping needs.
When it comes to the holiday season, however, the high demand can lead to shipping delays. In this case, it may be worth the cost to upgrade to expedited shipping options.
Expedited shipping options Gallery Leather offers include:
- 3rd Day Shipping – $19
- 2nd Day Shipping – $25
- Next Day Shipping – $43
5. Be willing to readjust your expectations.
There’s something special about waking up on a holiday like Christmas morning and gathering around a tree to open a bunch of gifts with family. This year, talk to each other before the holiday.
Brainstorm options for an alternate gift-giving day in case you run into any challenges with online shopping. You can still have the holiday on the day you were planning, but if needed you can also keep the festivities and anticipation going longer.
6. Let go.
Sometimes despite our best planning and preparation, things just don’t end up going the way we wanted. Hopefully, the tips above will help prevent this from happening to you with your holiday shopping this year, but if things work out differently, see what other options may be available to you locally.
When buying from Gallery Leather, if you live in Coastal Maine you can purchase directly from our Factory Outlet Store located at 8 Industrial Way in Trenton. You can see all of the products available on our website. We also have a selection of factory seconds, production overruns, limited edition items, and items in development. We offer 20% off in-store purchases.
To add a personal touch to your gift, we offer free initials on all items purchased in the store, monogrammed while you shop. For even more convenience, we can even ship your items to the intended recipient for you. We’re open from 8 AM – 4:30 PM weekdays, so plan your visit accordingly.
In Conclusion
Holiday shopping can be stressful, especially when shopping online, but it doesn’t have to be. By starting early with your planning and research, taking advantage of the multiple options available, and keeping an open mind, you can increase your likelihood of success this holiday season.
Whether you’re shopping online or have decided to visit our outlet store, Gallery Leather has the perfect gift for that special someone this holiday season. We can also help you get it to the recipient just in time. If you haven’t done so already, start your holiday shopping on our website today.