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Holiday Shopping Tips

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Holiday Shopping Tips

CoolSprings Galleria in Franklin offers suggestions to avoid the holiday shopping rush

Planning ahead, and making lists ensure a positive gift-buying experience!

While many people may have already started picking out gifts, others are still compiling shopping lists and figuring out what “perfect gift” to get each person. It’s a busy time of year, and CoolSprings Galleria has some suggestions to make your shopping experience more enjoyable. Here are some easy-to-follow directions to avoid the holiday shopping rush:

Shop early. Why wait until the holiday season to start your buying? A gift purchase can be made at anytime. Watch for store specials and take advantage of pre-holiday values or discounts. For instance, if you’re on vacation or shopping for a birthday in the coming weeks and see something that makes you think of a particular person, make the purchase and put it aside for the holiday.

Have a shopping list. Taking a few moments to actually write out what you need and who you’re shopping for can save both stress and over-spending. It will also save you time, especially if you’ve written down information such as sizes and color preferences.

Shop during the week rather than on the weekend. Generally, fewer people shop during the week as compared to the weekend. Also, malls are places where people socialize as well as shop. With school in session during the week, you’ll find fewer families in the mall at that time.

Shop early in the day rather than later in the day or evening. Remember the saying, “The early bird catches the worm.” The same applies to shopping. In the mornings there are generally fewer people out. That means fewer crowds, faster service and time to browse a bit more when making gift selections.

Shop with somebody. This is a good idea unless the person you’re shopping with is the person you’re shopping for! Nevertheless, time goes by faster when you’re shopping with someone. Plus, you have somebody to talk to, to share gift ideas with, to help make color and size decisions.

Make multiple shopping trips rather than an all day shopping marathon. This will require a bit more planning, but can help preserve your strength, stamina and sanity in the long run. There are numerous methods to use in following this suggestion such as shopping for all the members of a particular family or purchasing children’s presents on one trip and adult’s presents on another trip.

Map out your shopping trip. When planning a trip, you wouldn’t dream of driving off without first having looked at an atlas, roadmap or consulting the internet. Why should shopping be any different?  If you know what you want to purchase and where you can find it, half your battle is won. Check the mall web page www.CoolSpringsGalleria.com to see where the store is located within the mall. If you’re in the mall, check the backlit directory or pick up a brochure style directory from customer service. This will enable you to determine where you need to go and in what order to shop as you check off items from your shopping list.

Don’t forget the gift receipt and gift wrapping. In order to ensure that the recipient can return or exchange an item, make sure the sales associate includes a gift receipt with your purchase. CoolSprings Galleria will have a gift wrapping kiosk in the mall located near Guest Services and the Play area beginning Friday, November 28. So all you’ll need to do once you get home is slip the present under the tree.

Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance or directions.
In order to make room for holiday and seasonal merchandise, stores sometimes have to reconfigure departments or sections.  This can be confusing to a customer who regularly shops that store. As a result, a great deal of time can be spent “searching” for merchandise and the searching can lead to frustration. Why not simply ask a sales associate for assistance?

Looking for another alternative? Buy a gift card. Take the guess work out of your gift buying with a CBL Malls Gift Card. CoolSprings Galleria offers the CBL Malls card, which is also accepted at all participating CBL malls. Check CBLproperties.com for a complete list of malls.

One final suggestion regarding shopping – at anytime – but particularly during the holidays: keep safety in mind at all times. Know where you place your credit card or checkbook after a purchase. Don’t keep large amounts of cash in your wallet or purse. Take in just what you need to spend and come back later. When getting money from an automatic teller machine, don’t let people crowd you too closely. When taking purchases to your car, lock them out of sight in the trunk rather than exposed in the back seat. Finally, let somebody at home know you’re going to be shopping, your destination, route and estimated time of return.

Another bonus that CoolSprings Galleria offers during the holiday season is extended mall hours. For your convenience CoolSprings Galleria offers extended shopping hours beginning November 28, at 6 AM.

CoolSprings Galleria mall in Franklin, Tennessee.

About CoolSprings Galleria
Owned and managed by CBL & Associates, Inc. of Chattanooga, Tennessee (NYSE: CBL), CoolSprings Galleria, is conveniently located off I-65 at exit 69 Galleria Blvd in Franklin, Tennessee.  For more information about holiday shopping, call Guest Services at (615) 771-2128 or visit www.CoolSpringsGalleria.com.