How to Shop on a Time Crunch

Abby Graf
Oct 27, 2018
6 min read

Happy Sunday!

This past week flew by and it is almost Halloween, which means the Holiday season is officially here! With the coming weeks being very hectic and with the Holiday shopping craze about to begin, I wanted to kick off my Holiday content with a post that I think you will find very helpful. I want to talk to you guys about shopping on a time crunch, as sometimes we want to shop but we don't always have that much time to, and especially with the Holiday season, we have so much going on aside from shopping that sometimes we only have a limited time to do so.

Shopping on a time crunch is just as it is, shopping with limited time. Whether you're taking your lunch break to shop for Holiday outfits, taking that small window of time between your classes to get some gift shopping done, we have all been in a situation of sorts and have at least once had to shop on a time crunch.

*Disclaimer* everything in this post can be related to non-Holiday time crunch shopping (i.e. you just want to shop but don't have a lot of time), but now that the season is here I wanted to add it as a Holiday special for you guys.

Shopping on a time crunch can be stressful, especially if we're stuck wishing we had more time but we just simply don't. Which is why I've created a list of tips & tricks on how to maximize your time while shopping...essentially, how to shop on a time crunch.

First things first, it's important to know the store that you're in. If you're shopping on a time crunch, maybe now isn't the best time to shop at that new boutique you've been eyeing down, or even head to a different location to one of your favorite stores. You need to know the backbones of where you're shopping because that'll make your life a whole lot easier. If you know the store, then you know where to find things (unless they randomly did a set change, then my apologies). And knowing where to find things will make it easier to manage your time.

Along with knowing your store, you also want to make sure that you are shopping at a relatively slow time. I know this is basically inevitable during the Holiday season, but there are some down times for all stores. If you're shopping on a time crunch, those long checkout lines can be your worst enemy. Once you get in the store, scope it out. If it looks too busy, come back another time. But if it looks fairly empty, use your time and shop till you drop.

Another thing you want to know before you even begin your shopping frenzy is who you are shopping for. Are you shopping for yourself to find Holiday outfits? Or are you shopping to find a gift for a friend or family member? It's easy to just go in a store with the general idea of casually looking and hoping that something catches your eye for yourself or to gift to somebody else, but if you're shopping on a time crunch you need to know who exactly it is you're shopping for.

To start, let's say you're shopping for yourself to get that perfect Holiday outfit. You also want to delegate your time in the best way possible. Before you even head into manic shopping mode, ask yourself what specifics you are shopping for. Is it blouses, sweaters, basic tees? Or are you looking for pants, jeans, trousers? Shoes? And if so, what type? One key factor to shopping on a time crunch is knowing exactly what you want in the first place. This will help you cut off time on your shopping trip, and will also make your life a whole lot easier. You need to be specific about what type of item you're looking for. After all, you are on a time limit so rummaging through all of the racks to find random pieces won't be your friend here. If you had an hour or two to do so, then maybe it'd be a little different. But remember: time. crunch.

One hefty piece of advice I'll give to you when shopping on a time crunch and that I hope you will take away from this is to know your size (if you're shopping for yourself). After all, you do only have a certain amount of time, and trying on every single item you pick out will eat away at your time like no other. Giving that you've most likely shopped at this store before, you should have a general idea of your sizes. But if not, really take a look at what you're grabbing and ask yourself if 1. You really want it, 2. You really need it, and 3. Do you want to use up your time to try it on? If you answer yes to all three of those questions, then take the time to try the item on.

To go along with knowing the store that you're in, to save time, head straight to your specified section and keep your mindset on that, and nothing but that. It's so easy to fall victim to distractions when shopping, and trust me, I've been there far too many times I'd like to admit, but you've gotta keep your eyes on the prize and shop only what you're looking for.

Now, let's get into if you're shopping for others. My pieces of advice above fall into this category as well. Know the store you're in, know what specifics you're shopping for, know their size, and head straight to your specified section.

But say you're shopping on a time crunch and need to get gifts for not just one person, but multiple. Do you know exactly what you want to get each person? And if so, can all of the items be found at the same store? Before you begin your gift shopping when you're on a time crunch, find a store that will most likely have all the items you want to get for each person so you avoid store hopping and wasting your time.

Stores that I like to shop at each Holiday season when knocking multiple peoples' gifts off my list are bigger department or brand name stores, such as Kohl's, JCPenny, Target or Walmart. These stores have items from every category, so it's easy to kill two birds with one stone in them. The only downside is that they are bigger, so knowing the store you're in and knowing the exact specifics of the items you want will come in handy here.

Another piece of advice I'll give you for shopping on a time crunch, whether it's for yourself or for other people is to utilize the workers who are there to help you. Yes, I said it. Because I know a lot of people are afraid to talk to the workers and ask them questions. If you don't know where an item is, ask! The workers are not just there to make the store look pretty, but they're there to answer your questions.

Take it from me who used to work in retail, the Holiday season is when the most questions need to be asked. If you have an item in mind but it's not on the shelves, ask a worker if they have it in the back, or ask if they can look it up to see if it's available at another location. This may seem like it'll waste your time since you're shopping on a time crunch, but it'll help you in the long-run and save you from looking for an item that's 1. Either not in stock or 2. Moved to a different location within the store when you can't find it. Don't be shy, just ask.

Shopping on a time crunch is definitely a real thing any time of year, but especially during the Holiday season. I hope these tips will help you in shopping for yourself and for others this year. And as I always say, if you have any questions on this post, feel free to shoot mean email or DM on Instagram @abbygraf.

I will be rolling Holiday content out hopefully in a very scheduled manner within the next few months. My goal is to get 2-4 posts out for you guys this week on outfit ideas, gift ideas, DIY gifts, Black Friday sales, stocking stuffers and so much more so make sure to subscribe and follow me on Instagram to be updated on when these posts roll out! And, everything linked in my posts in the coming weeks will be easy for you guys to shop and I'll try to also link most of it on LIKEtoKNOW.it as well, so follow me there @abbygraf!

I am also taking ANY ideas you have for Holiday content to add to my already-made list because I'd love to know what you guys want to read and shop. So if you have any ideas at all, or want to see specific items being talked about and linked in blog posts, DM me on Instagram and I'll add it to my list :)

Xoxo,