At Play realizes that not all holiday shoppers are created equal. A few of you, we hear, even finished before Halloween and are kicking back today, watching your friends panic. Well, cheers to you. For the rest of us, it’s time to get some help. Find the shopping profile that matches you best and get going.
THE WORKING PARENTS
Time-pressed and trying to save money, this couple juggles a chaotic schedule to provide for their family. The goal is to squeeze in enough quality time.
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Meet Claude Robinson and Erica Davis-Robinson. Robinson, 39, and Davis-Robinson, 34, have two children and live in Beverly. He’s a vice president at a child welfare agency in Chicago. She’s an education coordinator with the city’s department of public health. “All of us, including our children, have our own separate schedules,” Davis-Robinson says.
Shopping passion: High.
Time committed to holiday shopping: Varies. Davis-Robinson starts in September. “I like to think about what I want to get for the kids, my brothers and sisters-in-law,” she says. Robinson waits until the last minute.
Gift list: Their parents and immediate family, the choir at Trinity United Church of Christ, where Davis-Robinson sings, and Robinson’s co-workers. And the kids: Brianna, 11, and Dorian, 5.
Budget: $1,000.
Shopping Habitat: The malls.
Their strategy: The couple will talk about what gifts they plan on buying. Each spouse will shop for their parents and siblings separately and bring the kids along when they shop for the other spouse.
The expert suggests: Robinson may be onto something with his last-minute shopping, says Kimberly Turner, owner of Flaunt, a women’s apparel and image consulting boutique in the South Loop. “The closer you wait [to Christmas], the better the deals are,” she says.
But that can also backfire as shoppers go ga-ga over the sales and buy a gift that’s inappropriate, Turner says. So make that gift list, check that budget twice and stick to it.
Gifts they plan to buy: Brianna’s tastes are changing toward electronics and technology, the couple says. Translation: iPod. And Dorian may get a small electronic piano to go with his lessons and more cartridges for his Leapster learning game system (think PlayStation, with an educational bent).
Gift makeover: For Brianna, an iPod Nano may be the best gift, Turner agrees. She also recommends a simple, straightforward gift for Dorian. “If he’s interested in education, why not more books?”
And, she says, the Robinsons can stay on budget if they separate out the family and friends who have to receive gifts. For everyone else, like Robinson’s staff, “spend a couple of dollars on gift cards to Barnes & Noble.”
— Glenn Jeffers
THE STAY-AT-HOME MOM
She is a busy woman, taking care of the kids and the home while her husband works long hours. She has a comfortable life and can spoil the family a bit, but the pressure to pull it all off with style can be overwhelming.
Meet Pam Gordon. After 15 years at an advertising agency, Gordon recently quit to stay at home in Lincoln Park with her three kids, ages 8, 5 and 3. Another child is on the way, due in February.
Shopping passion: High, but Christmas shopping does not get her blood flowing.
Time committed to holiday shopping: 10 hours.
Gift list: Long: her trader husband, three kids, four grandparents, nine nieces and nephews and three sets of aunts and uncles. Whew!
Budget: “We don’t usually do a budget,” she says.
Shopping habitat: Catalogs and malls.
Her strategy: Gordon used to work on Michigan Avenue, so she could shop on her lunch hour. Now, as a stay-at-home mom, it’s going to be tougher. And she’s a procrastinator when it comes to holiday shopping anyway. “I always have no strategy and wait until the last minute,” she says.
She anticipates carving out a day at a suburban mall with her husband to pick up presents.
The hardest for Gordon to shop for are the grandparents. “They have everything by now,” she says. The nieces and nephews aren’t so tough, being close in age to her own children. And her husband? Difficult. “I try to come up with something that will surprise him,” she says. Her own children usually get one big gift that they want, but Gordon doesn’t shower them with piles of presents.
The expert suggests: “Why wouldn’t a woman like this be using a personal shopper? That’s crazy!” says Laurie Demma-Davis, a former personal shopper at Marshall Field’s and now owner of the boutique Lulu’s at the Belle Kay, 3862 N. Lincoln Ave.
Not only is the service free at department stores, but a good personal shopper can save clients tons of time, eliminate stress and find fabulous gifts, says Demma-Davis, whose customers would send her a list of gift recipients, their genders, ages, interests and a price range for each gift. Then she would shop the store, finding three unique gift choices for each recipient–generally one “glam” gift, one food item and one practical gift. All the client had to do was come to her office and choose from those selections.
“Personal shoppers are the ultimate last resort as they know everything that is in the store,” she says. Even if you like to browse, go with a shopper. “Usually they have clout. They can go behind the counters. You won’t have to wait in line,” she says.
Gifts she plans to buy: “Truly, I have no idea,” Gordon says. “Our kids haven’t made their list. It’s completely up in the air.”
Gift makeover: At Play asked Demma-Davis to help Gordon with two hard-to-buy-for loved ones–her husband and the grandparents. For Gordon’s husband, Demma-Davis suggests setting up a trip to a big-ticket sporting event, like The Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga., or the NCAA Final Four. Or, she says, how about a cigar-chomping guys’ night out at the Peninsula-Chicago or a year’s worth of hot shaves at upscale barber shop Truefitt & Hill, 900 N. Michigan Ave.? For the grandparents, Demma-Davis suggests cashmere bathrobes. And, she recommends finding that one thing they won’t buy for themselves. “I don’t care how much money you have, there is always something someone will not pull the trigger on,” she says. “That is key to giving a great gift. Someone might have all the money in the world and they will not buy themselves a Hermes scarf.” And if that sounds good, Hermes is at 110 E. Oak St.
— Trine Tsouderos
THE SINGLE GUY
Like so many twentysomething hipster urbanites, this guy has better things to do than shop. He wants to get the right gifts without overspending or wasting time.
Meet Anil Hurkadli. Hurkadli, 25, doesn’t want to drop a lot of cash. The actor from Lakeview wants the gifts to be personable, not just another arbitrary box of Macadamia nuts.
Shopping passion: “I shop like I live: randomly.”
Time committed to holiday shopping: No set schedule.
Gift list: His parents, his older brother, his boyfriend of two months and a bunch of college and childhood friends.
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Budget: About $800, hopefully less. He plans to spend a major chunk on new boyfriend.
Shopping habitat: Online, vintage bookstores, kitschy shops.
His strategy: “I can’t go into a store and force myself to buy something,” Hurkadli says. “It has to be personal, and it really has to be perfect.”
The expert suggests: Shop owner Casey Rutledge says Hurkadli is on the right track.
“He sounds like my favorite type of customer. He stays out of big box stores because it doesn’t quite speak to the individual,” says the owner of Multiple Choices, an eclectic gift shop in Lincoln Park and Winnetka.
Gifts he plans to buy: Hurkadli’s favorite gifts for friends are books. “It’s a way to give them something that has affected or interestedme,” he says. “It gives a glimpse into my world.”
Hurkadli calls his mother the easiest to shop for, because she believes in the old cliche, “it’s the thought that counts.” So, for her, Hurkadli plans on painting a picture of the Chicago skyline. For his father, Hurkadli is looking again this year at TV shows on DVD–the “Seinfeld” set he bought last year was a hit. The biggest hurdle Hurkadli faces in his holiday shopping quest is what to get for his new boyfriend. Hurkadli says it is “on the path of becoming more serious.” So how does he make it thoughtful without overstepping bounds?
“Early on in a relationship, the gift has to be personal, intimate, but not serious,” Hurkadli says. “I can see myself buying him a book, maybe spend $300 to $400 on a nice dinner and tickets to a show.”
Gift makeover: Rutledge would add one thing to Hurkadli’s dinner-and-show gift idea for his boyfriend: Include presents small enough you can hold in your hand. Often times, they are inexpensive, and the gift’s intimacy speaks for something more symbolic, something beyond its material worth.
“I love the idea of package toppers or ornaments, something personalized with the year or a name,” Rutledge says. Rutledge suggests looking up a city or neighborhood’s chamber of commerce, which might organize certain days when shop owners would collectively hold sales and specials.
She adds that some of the best presents for young people can be found in thrift shops. “Lots of people can appreciate the history behind an item at a thrift store,” Rutledge says. “The idea is, `Now it’s your turn to enjoy this.'”
— Kevin Pang
THE GRANDPARENTS
Retirement means this couple has extra shopping time now, but also a stricter budget. Still, they’re tempted to spoil the young grandchildren.
Meet Phil and Rose Ann Scully. Retired after working for Kirby School District 140 in the south suburbs, Phil, 60, a school administrator, and Rose Ann, 58, a district assistant, now live in Carillon Lakes, a 55-and-older gated community in Crest Hill, near Joliet.
Shopping passion: “We enjoy it . . . now,” Rose Ann says.
Time committed to holiday shopping: More now that they’re not shopping for colleagues. “We had staff and custodians and teachers aides,” Phil says.
Gift list: Two adult daughters, two sons-in-law, one granddaughter and three grandsons. The grandkids are all 5 and under.
Budget: $1,500.
Shopping habitat: The malls.
Their shopping strategy: The Scullys plan on shopping during the day and “not face the crowds we’d see on a weekend or at night,” says Rose Ann.
They may head down to the Oakbrook Shopping Center, “eat lunch and poke around,” Rose Ann says.
The expert suggests: Good move, says Anna Wildermuth, an Elmhurst-based personal shopper and image coach. But before they even leave the house, the Scullys should map out which stores they’re going to visit and what presents they’re going to buy, Wildermuth says. A store’s Web site will help them find out if the gifts are in stock.
If they do decide to spend the day shopping, the Scullys should pay a visit to Oakbrook, Wildermuth recommends. Not only can they check out the department stores, but they can grab a bite at Braxton Seafood Grill. “If you go to the bar before 7 [p.m.], you can get lobster for $8.99,” she says.
Gifts they plan to buy: For their daughters’ families, the couple gives gift certificates for dinners and movies, as well as homemade “certificates” for baby-sitting the grandkids. Phil also gives his sons-in-law gift certificates from Mistwood Golf Club in Romeoville and “daddy-daughter” gifts to his daughters, usually jewelry. Rose Ann usually buys clothing for her daughters, she says.
The grandparents also plan on buying toys from the Thomas & Friends and Buzz Lightyear lines for the boys, and a painting kit for their 5-year-old granddaughter. Phil also plans on getting her a “grandpa-granddaughter” gift, probably a necklace.
Gift makeover: For the Scullys’ grandchildren, Wildermuth recommends All Aboard Toys (www.allaboardtoys.com). Wildermuth says she bought some Thomas & Friends for her own grandchildren on the site after striking out at Target, Wal-Mart, Toys `R’ Us and Sears.
Wildermuth also suggests that the Scullys check out Embrace, a hybrid restaurant and boutique on 29 E. 1st St. in Hinsdale. The store is ideal for Phil’s “daddy-daughter” and “grandpa-granddaughter” gifts.
— Glenn Jeffers