And now, your moment of ZEN
Planning ahead and buying friends and family what they want eases pressure
There’s a reason it’s called the holiday shopping frenzy. Wish lists are long, budgets are tight and malls — and their parking lots — are packed. Shopping for loved ones can suck every ounce of joy out of the season. Just ask anyone tasked with finding this year’s must-have toy.
This isn’t hyperbole — research backs it up, says Laurence Ashworth, associate professor in marketing at the Smith School of Business in Kingston, Ont., who studies consumer behaviour.
Shopping in general can be incredibly stressful, Ashworth says, but holiday shopping in particular can overwhelm even the most level-headed shopper. And crowding is one of the big culprits.
“Holiday shopping is frequently very task-oriented,” he says. “Shoppers need to get specific things done . . . and the presence of other shoppers is likely to make it harder. Reactions to other shoppers in this case are probably very much like your reactions to a slow driver when you’ve got someplace you need to be: instant annoyance and stress.”
Gift giving is also a major cause of stress because it involves difficult decision-making and studies suggest people aren’t very good at it, says Ashworth
“Givers tend to select gifts they believe will convey thoughtfulness — such as expensive, unique and unrequested gifts.”
“Recipients, however . . . prefer things they requested. Givers don’t seem to be generally aware of these mistakes, but they are aware that it’s hard to select the right gift, which seems likely to add to the stress.”
Ashworth added that some holiday shopping stress might simply be a consequence of how people shop — which means there are ways to reduce that stress.
Which is Sandra Phillips’ specialty. Phillips is a nationally renowned, Montreal-based shopping guru and founder of shopping website smartshoppingmontreal.com.
She suggests treating in-store Christmas shopping like a marathon: start with a nourishing meal, put on comfy clothes and running shoes, then leave the kids at home, your coat in the car and hit the mall.
If you know of one store that serves a variety of people on your list, that’s a great place to start. “Go on a Monday or Tuesday morning when stores are the emptiest,” she suggests. “Try and stick to your list, and don’t get distracted.”
And leave potentially grumpy coshoppers at home.
“Choose your partner wisely,” she warns. “A timid shopper can ruin the whole experience.”
Organized shoppers might want to pick up gifts as they happen upon them, all year long, and keep these purchases in one place, taking some of the pressure off in December.
Regardless of where you’re shopping, and for whom, Phillips and Ashworth both suggest one of the easiest ways to reduce stress is simply to ask for and shop off a wish list. Not only will that take the decision- making stress off you, it will enable you to focus on a specific store or website to find a gift. Research actually shows that recipients are happier when given gifts off their wish lists, according to Ashworth.
In the end, it might help to try and frame the whole experience as fun, Phillips says. Treat it like a date with your spouse or best friend. Indulge in a hot chocolate, stop and see Santa and try to remember that ultimately, giving a gift is something that will bring joy to others.