Is it better to get your Christmas shopping done early or wait for last-minute sales?

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Have you already found the perfect gifts for everyone on your list, or will you be racing through the stores on Christmas Eve?

There are pros and cons to being an early bird versus a last-minute shopper.

“With the early-bird shoppers, you get the advantage of maybe some early bird sales. If you like Christmas, you extend that warm, seasonal glow by savouring your shopping,” points out Kirstin Appelt with UBC’s Sauder School of Business.

Along with being able to take advantage of early sales, Appelt notes you can really savour the holiday season by getting your shopping out of the way ahead of time.

As for those last-minute shoppers, she says, “a lot of times, the end of the season sales are actually bigger than the early-bird sales, so you can get really deep discount.”

Appelt says there is some indication sales are happening later and later, but adds if you do choose to shop right before the big day, you run the risk of finding empty shelves.

A new study finds Canadians have finished less than half of their holiday shopping.

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