5 Little-Known Perks of Last-Minute Christmas Shopping

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Early holiday shoppers may not understand why some people would wait to shop. See why those last-minute shoppers may just be on to something. 

For those of us who begin asking for Christmas wish lists in August, it’s difficult to imagine waiting until the last minute to shop. However, for some people, it’s not the Christmas season unless they’re rushing around, looking for just the right gifts.

Eleventh-hour shopping is not for everyone, but it certainly has its advantages.

1. Potential discounts

According to Boston University, last-minute shoppers don’t always score a good deal on their purchases. However, there are exceptions. Each year, there are specific items that are expected to be “hot” so retailers stock up on them. Who can forget Cabbage Patch dolls or Furby fever?

However, not every product that hits the shelves can be a winner, and sometimes, retailers are left with stock they’re suddenly desperate to sell. Only those who dare to shop last minute have access to such desperation deals.

2. More time to save up (and plan)

A Gallup poll found that Americans plan to spend an average of $975 on Christmas gifts this year. Since it’s not possible for everyone to simply withdraw the funds from a checking or savings account, last-minute shopping means more time to save up, and also to create a purchase plan that fits with their household budget.

Depending on the length of your Christmas list, you can probably empathize with anyone who spends weeks trying to figure out what to buy. After all, it’s a real victory when a gift perfectly fits a recipient. Last-minute shoppers have more time to come up with the ideal gift for each person on their list.

3. Less decision fatigue

Last-minute shoppers rarely find shelves stocked full with potential gifts. In fact, shelves may be nearly empty by the time those shoppers make their way into stores. And that’s a good thing.

Speaking on an American Medical Association (AMA) podcast, Dr. Lisa MacLean discussed what we all need to understand about decision fatigue. According to MacLean, by the time the average person goes to bed, they’ve made over 35,000 decisions. That’s in a single day. Each decision, no matter how small, requires energy. And all that energy depletes us. The more decisions we are pressed to make, the more fatigue sets in.

One consequence of decision fatigue is impulse buying, and impulse buying is infamously hard on bank accounts. It may be easier for last-minute shoppers to make rational decisions when there are fewer options from which to choose.

4. No time to peek

For anyone with a partner who checks their credit card statement to ferret out where their Christmas gift was purchased, or a child who can root out gifts like a pig hunting for truffles, there’s less time for prying eyes to figure out what they’re getting for Christmas.

Simply put, the later a person shops, the less chance their gift secrets will be revealed.

5. Lots of Christmas spirit

Despite all that’s going on in the world, Christmas can bring out the best in people (Black Friday excluded). There’s something about strolling through a store, holiday music playing, and a sense of excitement in the air. It’s a unique atmosphere, no matter how often you experience it.

If you’re the first person in the office in the morning, someone who’s four hours early to the airport rather than two, and have your Christmas gifts wrapped and ready by the end of October, the idea of last-minute shopping may give you hives. However, with so many potential perks associated, it may just be that last-minute shoppers are onto something.

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