19 Dec 2017

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Worried About Gifts Getting Here For Christmas? Try This

‘Twas the week before Christmas and all around the Hill, residents were busy wrapping up work projects and holiday parties…

Wait. One week until Christmas? And you forgot a gift for Uncle Fred?! Sure, you can pay for expedited shipping but there is a better solution.

We have a TON of great local stores on the Hill that will be sure to have a great gift for just about anyone in your life.

But it’s so much more expensive than online! Yes, you can get some deals online but, as I learned when setting up my wedding registry, the local stores often charge the same retail price as the online stores. Yes, there are exceptions thanks to Amazon and big-box stores– but stick with me here.

Getting it mailed is so much easier! Right…and our mail delivery system here is so reliable. First, if you buy it locally you don’t have to worry about the package arriving on time. Second, you then don’t have to worry about local package thieves snagging the box from your doorstep before you get home from work.

Parking is SO hard. Sigh, yes, it can be. And when you are buying a bunch of stuff, you don’t want to walk blocks to your car. But there is more parking than many realize around the Hill. You just have to know where to look. Oh, look at that: We have a parking guide for you! You can also get an Uber or Lyft to pick you up from your last stop and get dropped off right at your door. I call that $10 well spent.

They won’t have as much selection. It’s true, but they have already found the BEST items. So instead of sorting through pages of items that are generic and showing under everyone’s trees, you are picking from hand-selected quality items that your local store owner knows will be perfect. I have found some fantastic items at places like Hill’s Kitchen, Labyrinth, and East City Books by taking a few minutes to chat with the sales associates about what I was looking for.

I don’t know what their return policy is. Just ask! Independent store owners are just like you and me: We all get gifts that aren’t quite right and they are generally happy to make exchanges or take returns.

I don’t have time during the workday. Many businesses have longer hours this time of year, and are even staying open seven-days a week to accommodate the holiday shopping season.

The last people on my list don’t like stuff so I’m just going to get them an iTunes gift card. Music is awesome but why not get a bit more creative? Give to a local charity in their name, get them a gift card to their favorite local restaurant or coffee house, or get them some tasty treats from one of our many sweet shops and bakeries. Marie Kondo would applaud your devotion to not adding to the clutter.

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