GiftRx - Shopping Plan of Action

I like to have a plan of action before I go shopping for gifts. Usually, the night before a planned shopping trip or the morning of the day I'm going shopping, I make a list of all the gifts I plan to purchase. Then, I list the stores I'll have to visit to purchase these gifts. Once I've compiled my list of gifts and stores, I either visit the stores' websites or call the stores and get their hours of operation. The store that opens the earliest is the first store I visit on my shopping trip. I also prefer to complete my shopping in the morning so that I can avoid crowded stores and long lines. The next step on my plan of action is to plan my travel route. I plot each store's location, so that I can figure out whether a store is easily accessible by public transportation, or, whether I'll need to jump in a cab to get to the store. I often try to shop for gifts at stores that are in the same vicinity, so that I can keep my travel time to a minimum, and, avoid lugging gifts long distances.

Whenever I don't follow this plan of action, I find that I'm stressed and fatigued after a day of shopping for gifts. I really recommend creating a plan of action before you go shopping for gifts. I guarantee that it will help you complete your shopping more efficiently. Use my plan of action as a guide to create your own plan of action.

My Plan of Action for Gift Shopping
1. Compile list of gifts you plan to purchase
2. Gather store addresses for the gifts you plan to purchase
3. Look up the store(s) hours of operation
4. Plot Travel Route - take into account, transportation, proximity of stores, and stores' hours of operations