Shipping Deadlines
Online shopping and ordering things out of a catalogue is quite common these days. The shopping frenzy actually goes up during the holiday season, especially during Christmas. People go to the stores or shop online during such times to get the gifts they want to present to their family or friends. One thing many people tend to forget while doing online shopping is the shipping deadlines. Yes, shipping deadlines do exist. It is better to understand these and have an idea if how they work before ordering the gifts online.
One important thing is that the goods have to reach the customer before December 24th. Hence, if you do the math you will realize that the shipping need to be done at least a week before, give or take a couple of days. The deadlines are fixed, by not only the stores, but also the courier services and the post office.
Take last year for instance. The last day for shipping gifts as fixed by USPS was December 15th. First class mail had a deadline of December 20th while express mail had its deadline as December 22nd. These dates mean that that is the last day to place the order for the goods to be delivered. However, it does not mean that you place an order at 11PM on December 22nd and expect the goods to be shipped on the same day. Most places also have a time deadline for the order to be placed along with the date. These stores do not accept orders after the stipulated deadline. The deadlines may differ from store to store.
There are ways to avoid getting into trouble with these deadlines. First and foremost – do not procrastinate. Why wait till the last minute to do the shopping. Plan the gifts well before hand and do the shopping in advance. This gives ample time for delivery of the gifts. Try not to over spend in the months prior to the holiday season. This will enable one to have an ample supply of funds to make the purchase in the beginning of December, well before the deadlines set in. There is also no need to wait for the Christmas bonus to do the shopping.
Another thing is to choose gifts that are easily available. If you are the kind to put off things till the last minute, it won’t help to choose a gift that is available from some far off country. Get something from the local store and if you purchase online, try to get it from a store which is in or around the place where you stay or where you want the gift delivered. Also, if procrastination is your thing – check the stores which have a later delivery deadline and shop accordingly.
| Store | Standard | Expedited | Fastest | APO/FPO | Gift Card | E-Gift Cert. | Customer Service | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-800-Contacts | Dec 10 4pm ET | Dec 17 4pm ET | Dec 21 4pm ET | Via USPS Priority | No | No | 800-266-8228 | Processing time takes up to 2 days |
Christmas shopping is always a big job, especially if you have a big family and/or lots of friends. Even if it is well planned, there are always chances that you left someone out or someone appeared on to the list quite late. In such cases, if the shopping is going to be done online, it is always better to keep track of the shopping deadlines laid down by various stores. This helps in further planning and placing the order in the nick of time.
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