So many presents to buy, so little time. For many, that refrain’s as familiar as the lyrics to “White Christmas.” As usual, they’ve put off shopping for holiday gifts until the last minute, and now are faced with just a few days to decide on a sleigh full of crucial purchases.
Sound like you? Well, imagine someone offering to do your shopping for you–at no cost to you, and even providing plenty of ideas about what gifts to give. What last-minute shopper could afford to pass up such a free deal?
Incredibly, every year, most holiday procrastinators do. At the 11th hour, they slog through the teeming malls themselves, rather than letting the personal shopping departments of major department stores do the work for them.
You heard right. Even with just 72 hours or so until stores close, personal shoppers at stores like Bloomingdale’s, Marshall Field’s, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom stand ready to take your list off your hands.
Simply put, they do the shopping, you get the glory.
Most personal shopping services allow you to contact them in person or by phone, or in some cases by fax.
At Personal Touch, the personal shopping service at Nordstrom stores at Oakbrook Center, Woodfield Mall and Old Orchard, many gift-givers phone in their requests, reported Linda Jarnig, manager of Personal Touch at the Oakbrook Center store.
“That last-minute shopper can call us, give us her list, give us some parameters such as how much she’d like to spend and any pertinent information about the (recipient),” she reported. “We can pre-select the merchandise, and she can come in and pick it up, or we can talk with her about shipping it out.”
Joan Kussmann, director of At Your Service/Personal Shopper at Bloomingdale’s on North Michigan Avenue, also fields plenty of calls from shoppers who can’t make it into the store.
“I will suggest four or five gifts, go and get them, call (the customer) and tell him what I have,” she said. “He’ll pick out the gifts he wants right over the phone.”
If you prefer to come in, personal shoppers will accommodate you at the store. Charlene Lieber, a personal shopper at Neiman Marcus on Michigan Avenue, reports that customers often visit her office on the store’s second floor. “You can sit down in my office and I can bring things to you,” she said. “Or we can take a walk through the store, and I can suggest things.”
Kussmann’s office offers private dressing rooms for the added privacy of customers using the personal shopping service. “And I serve refreshments,” she added.
At Nordstrom in Oakbrook Center, Jarnig reports, customers who visit the store during the holiday season but don’t want to actually shop can even have their gift selection completed while they relax at the store’s Pub Restaurant. A personal shopper will meet you at the restaurant, listen to your needs, pick out gifts and present them to you before you pay your check.
Personal shopping services can work with your gift ideas, or suggest ideas of their own based on information you supply.
“Sometimes, they will leave it totally to us to come up with an idea,” said Kevin Gorsch, manager of and consultant for Select, the personal shopping service at Marshall Field’s on State Street and 16 other Field’s stores throughout the Midwest. “Other times, they will come up with very specific needs or wants.”
To improve the odds that personal shoppers will pick the most appropriate gifts available, be prepared to give them specific information about the people on your list. That includes colors and sizes in clothing, hobbies or interests and type of career, said Jarnig.
“Are they stay-at-home, or career oriented? That may mean (clothes that are) casual and washable versus more formal,” she noted. “Do they travel on business? That could mean a whole range of business travel accessories. Do they love to cook? We have a lot of interesting food, or even mood music on CDs for romantic dinners. Are they into home decorating, recently married or in a new home? Distinctive Christmas ornaments are nice gifts for those people.”
But if you’re not all that aware of the preferences of the people on your list, personal shoppers can still help you. Such is the case if you’re buying a number of gifts for clients, colleagues or work associates, said Field’s Gorsch.
“If they’re buying for a large number of people, say at a business, they’ll want something that appeals to everyone that translates to men or women, and works within their budget,” he remarked. “We’ll tailor things to general requests of customers.”
Speaking of budget, that’s a key piece of information to supply whenever working with a personal shopper. It’s often best to suggest a price range, rather than a ceiling, noted Neiman Marcus’ Lieber. “A lot of times, you can find the perfect gift for $25,” she noted. “There are wonderful gifts throughout the store . . . in the $25 to $50 range.”
Some personal shopping departments will even gift-wrap your presents at no extra charge. At Nordstrom and Marshall Field’s, the personal shopping departments provide complimentary gift wrap. Bloomingdale’s At Your Service offers regular gift wrapping free of charge, and deluxe gift wrap for a small fee. At Neiman Marcus, personal shoppers can choose pre-wrapped gifts with no charge for the wrap, or can have them wrapped for $6 each.
Some personal shoppers can also help you exchange gifts bought at the store after the holiday. “They can send it, or bring it in,” said Bloomingdale’s Kussmann. “I’ll go and find something else, suggest it to them, and send it out. It helps gift recipients and buyers.”
Nordstrom’s Jarnig reports that gift recipients who receive Personal Touch gifts can count on help with exchanges from the personal shopping department.
“We’ll be happy to help them find their right size or color, or another item, and just help them with their exchanges,” she said.
Once the holidays are over, personal shopping departments are there for you the rest of the year as well. “We make sure people use their time effectively,” reported Neiman Marcus’ Lieber. “One of the scariest things about shopping today is that you walk in the store and there are so many choices. We help (customers) edit some of those choices.”
Added Gorsch: “Our whole goal is to make shopping as pleasant and convenient as possible, and to reduce some of the stress. A lot of people just don’t like shopping.”
If planning to visit the personal shopping departments of the following stores, all recommend you call ahead to make an appointment.
Bloomingdale’s: Call 312-440-4887, or fax a message to 312-440-4394.
Marshall Field’s: “We typically work through appointments, but we won’t turn them away,” said Gorsch. Call 312-781-3088 for the State Street store. Reach personal shoppers at other stores by calling 800-695-0275.
Neiman Marcus, Michigan Avenue: Call the main number of the store, 312-642-5900, and ask to be connected to a personal shopper.
Nordstrom, Oakbrook Center: Call 630-571-2121, ext. 1450.
