How I did my Christmas shopping online, in under 15 minutes

I’ve been meaning to post this for a while, but couldn’t – because it’d give away who was getting what for Christmas. Now that it’s well past Christmas, I thought I’d finally post an article about how I did almost all of my Christmas shopping online in under 15 minutes…

• Parker’s Astrology book for my boyfriend – ordered online at cookbooks.com.au (believe it or not); 1 minute to compare prices online then a 2 minute checkout process using the fantastic plastic.
• Gift voucher for E&S at wearitout.com.au – 1 minute to complete the Gift Voucher’s online form and 1 minutes to checkout using PayPal.
• Secret Santa present – another gift voucher from wearitout.com.au (did it at the same time by adding multiple vouchers to the shopping cart; no extra time spent)
• “Official Bookclub Selection” by Kathy Griffin – tried to order this online but no one had stock; went to the American Bookstore in the city and bought it in person.
• Big W gift voucher for R&R – 5 minutes online at wishgiftcard.com.au using the old fantastic plastic again.
• Tickets the the Brisbane Eye (big Ferris-wheel thingy) for mum & her hubby – booked online at RACQ Tickets; just 3 minutes including printing the Print@Home instant tickets.
• Fondue pot for myself – 2 minutes using the plastic at kitchendiscounts.com.au

So there you have it – the majority of my Christmas shopping, completed online in about 15 minutes. Some things, such as mum’s coffee machine, were arranged through other “offline-only” suppliers, but if I were to add up searching & buying the books (30 minutes), buying the Big W voucher, standing in the sun buying tickets to the Brisbane Eye Ferris-wheel and then going to 5 different kitchen shops looking for a fondue pot (1 hour+) …including time spent waiting in lines, would have taken well over 3 hours.

What about you…?

So how did / do you do your Christmas shopping? Do you shop online or do you prefer to see the item in person first? How do you feel about waiting in line, or out in the heat – particularly during the busy Christmas season? Will you shop online more often as a result of reading this post? I’m keen to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment below…