Where to Find Best Last-Minute Deals

If you had to put a guess on how many people wait until the last minute to Christmas shop, what would be the percentage you have in mind?

Some argue that most have their holiday shopping done and over with before Halloween, with only a few items or “door busters” on your list for Thanksgiving Weekend that includes Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Thanksgiving night as well.

But you’d be surprised to learn that waiting until the 11th hour isn’t uncommon among shoppers, even if they’re tapped out financially after the whirlwind that is last November and early December as far as promotions and sales go.

Would you believe, as far as that aforementioned guess goes, that about 30 percent of the holiday shoppers in the United States wait until the week of Christmas to shop?^[1]

That would be a fairly correct statement, and arguably a percentage that is somewhat shopping, especially considering that so many sales and epic sales events have already taken place, suggesting that buying into Black Friday “sales” isn’t something people do across the board.

What’s interest about waiting is how the reasoning breaks down from one person to another, but more importantly that stat line on waiting until Christmas week is going to be a tough one for most with Christmas Day falling on a Tuesday, leaving the 23rd and 24th (today and Monday, Christmas Eve) to shop.

One study showed that about 50 percent of shoppers, per last year’s report, finished up by December 20 but 5 percent won’t even be done by Christmas Eve with 53 percent of shopping happening the weekend and week leading up to Christmas, which is about 126 million people, again per last year’s numbers.^[2]

So why the penchant to wait?

You may assume that it’s due to thinking a better deal is around the corner, or perhaps you just don’t have the money and other, more pressing budgetary needs are put ahead of that.

Studies show that 26 percent say finances are to be blamed, with another 42 percent say they’re still not sure what to buy, with 51 percent wanting to “finish up” online.^[3]

That same report says department stores, as far as brick and mortar stores, will be the busiest with 41 percent of the last-minute shoppers.

And if you think the last-minute shopping is just about a few days prior to Christmas Day, think again.

A report from five years ago showed that 17 million people planned to shop on Christmas Eve, which for 2018 purposes is tomorrow.^[4]

The total percentage of shoppers hitting the stores on Christmas Eve this year is expected to be 7 percent in total, with most national retailers open till between 6 p.m and 7 p.m. on average, giving shoppers nearly the entire day to get in those last-minute gifts or, in some cases, start their shopping altogether.^[5]

A study conducted in 2015 showed that 75 percent of people who hadn’t yet finished their Christmas shopping well into December, about half were going to plant their shopping flag on Christmas Eve to do the lion’s share of their shopping.^[6]

Part of what that study showed is that the rush or “urgency” isn’t there, mostly due to inventory levels not being nearly as wiped out as they were expected to be.

That could be argued as the reason for the wait and see mentality, aside from not having the money to go ahead and spend ahead of December 24, or shoppers just assuming that as the holiday grows closer that stores and retailers are going to continue to offer discounts over and above the like of Black Friday.

The one other piece of waiting might have to do with the amount of shoppers that decided to partake in Black Friday and Thanksgiving Weekend shopping, with the total number of shoppers down versus 2017.

Roughly 165 million shoppers hit the stores on Black Friday weekend, down from the 174 million that did that in 2017.^[7]

While that might be a leading indicator of the “wait and see” mentality, it should be noted that the cultural shopping shift for Thanksgiving Weekend has transitioned from visiting stores to shopping online.

Those who wait until December 23 or 24 to shop aren’t in the online market, which explains that 40 percent of the shopping to be done in the 48 hours before Christmas Day will be done in actual stores.

The lack of foot traffic on Thanksgiving Weekend might also be a good indicator that some consumers wait simply because they’re not interested in the crowds on those “sales” days, and believe that waiting until Christmas Eve might eliminate more traffic since some may be traveling or attending family or friends at get together and holiday parties.

No matter the reason, you’ll still see a strong contingency of shoppers out in the next two days, and that means retailers also are going to oblige to better sales in some forums, but knowing exactly where to shop remains to be seen.

Here’s a few retailers who are pushing hard for that last-minute business, which is a good thing for you procrastinators out there:

Walmart: Gaming, toys and well, just about everything else, still being pushed hard

Gamers on your list need not worry that they might be shut out of a tremendous consoles or bundle package, as Walmart still is going strong in that department.

Walmart is still offering $100 off the Xbox One X, and the bundles are equally appealing with the One X bundles at $399 (the same price they were during Black Friday sales spree) with bundles that include Fallout 76, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, NBA 2K 19 as well.^[8]

The Nintendo Switch also is a hot item, last-minute, for Walmart shoppers with $340 for a Switch purchase that also includes a Nintendo Labo set.^[9]

Target: Gaming is another point of interest for red brand, along with gifts for buyers

Target knows its the season of giving that's why you’ll be getting a $25 gift card when you buy a Nintendo Switch, and they’ll match the Walmart deal with $100 off the Xbox One console, along with 50 percent off certain toys; Target also is in the market for letting customers know they can still order and pick up in the store, even if only two days remain between Christmas and, well, now.^[10]

Also at Target, you can save on the tech that you want, with $50 off the Apple Series 3 watch, and $80 off select iPads, as well.

Kohl’s: Free online pickup in stores, making life and shopping easier for customers

Most Kohl’s stores are open until 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and that’s good since they’re offering free store pickup after you order online, with most orders ready in two hours; the sales that looks the most enticing is 25 percent off select Nike, Adidas, Under Armor and Converse, along with saving 20 percent when you spend $100.^[11]

Who said it was too late to shop and save money? Certainly not Kohl’s.

Best Buy: Tech, tech and more tech still on sale through Christmas

You can have your order filled within an hour at Best Buy, even faster than the aforementioned Kohl’s 2-hour time slot, and that order filling is so important for last-minute shoppers that still want to buy online.

Best Buy also has remained steadfast in its propensity to offer Apple deals online, with the latest iPad 32 gb at $269.99, and the Apple Watch Series 3 at $229; you also can’t overlook the deals on a $299 55 inch Sharp 4K TV that is still available, along with a $99 price tag on the Google Home Hub and $299 for a Nintendo Switch.^[12]

As mentioned previously, as far as holiday shopping that isn’t last minute, digital and online buying is the way to go, and seems as if the future of shopping is contingent on that medium versus actually hitting the stores.

Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day had record-breaking online days with 6.22 billion on Black Friday and 3.7 billion on Thanksgiving, with Black Friday up 23 percent versus a year ago with that total number sold.^[13]

Cyber Monday broke all sales records, too, only a few days after Black Friday scored big. Cyber Monday hit nearly 8 billion in sales, making it the biggest sales day of the year.^[14]

All of those statistics would go against the argument that so many people wait until the last minute, but millions still are doing their Christmas shopping today and tomorrow.

Tracking last-minute sales, like the previously mentioned ones, are what allow those shoppers to get the sale deals that Black Friday and Cyber Monday offered, only in the form of hitting the stores and saving money, minus the modem and only a modicum of time to get the job done.

Still, those shoppers stand pat with the notion that this is the way they save, the way they shop for the holidays, and the success an savings they experience only further confirm that Christmas starts on their terms.