L.L. Bean, J. Crew Among Those Courting Last-Minute Shoppers

Last-minute holiday shoppers have a friend in L.L. Bean, J. Crew, and Lands’ End. Bean and J. Crew are accepting Christmas orders until noon Eastern time on Dec. 23, the latest cutoff data among the catalogs reviewed by MULTICHANNEL MERCHANT; Lands’ End’s cutoff for guaranteed Christmas delivery is 11 a.m. that same day.

Granted, customers ordering Christmas on the Dec. 23 will have to pay a premium for express delivery. Then again, Bean’s cutoff for standard delivery, noon Eastern on Dec. 22, is later than the last-minute deadlines for numerous other merchants. What’s more, Bean is offering free standard shipping.

Food gifts cataloger/retailer Harry and David also has a Dec. 23 cutoff date for express delivery, though at 1 a.m. it’s 11 hours earlier than L.L. Bean’s. A number of merchants are accepting orders as late as Dec. 22 for express delivery, among them food mailers Figis, Hickory Farms, and Stew Leonard’s; women’s apparel merchant J. Jill; general merchant Spiegel; and eco-gifts cataloger Viva Terra.

Below, a sampling of catalogers’ cutoff dates for guaranteed Christmas delivery. Note: All times are Eastern.

Bits and Pieces (puzzles and games): Dec. 16, standard delivery; 1 p.m. Dec. 21, rush air delivery

FAO Schwarz (toys): Dec. 17, standard delivery; Dec. 20, express

Figis (food): 10 p.m. Dec. 15, standard; 11 a.m. Dec. 22, one-day express

Free People (apparel): Dec. 18, standard; Dec, 21, next-day delivery

Gardener’s Supply Co. (gardening-related products): 11 a.m. Dec. 22, rush delivery

Gevalia (coffee): noon Dec. 14, standard; noon Dec. 22, next-day delivery

Godiva (chocolates): Dec. 18, standard delivery; 1 p.m. Dec. 22, overnight delivery

Hales Groves (fruit): Dec. 17

Harry and David (food): 1 a.m. Dec. 18, standard delivery; 1 a.m. Dec. 23, overnight delivery

Hickory Farms (food): Dec. 20, standard delivery, phone orders; noon Dec. 21, standard delivery, online orders; noon Dec. 22, rush delivery

J. Crew (apparel): 9 p.m. Dec. 21, standard; noon Dec. 23, express

J. Jill (women’s apparel): midnight Dec. 21, standard delivery; 3 p.m. Dec. 22, express delivery

Lands’ End (apparel, home goods): midnight Dec. 20, standard; 11 a.m., Dec. 23, express

L.L. Bean (outdoor gear, apparel, home goods): noon Dec. 22, standard; noon Dec. 23, express

MacKenzie-Childs (ceramics): noon Dec. 9, standard delivery; noon Dec. 21, overnight delivery

Plow & Hearth (home goods and gifts): Dec. 15, West Coast standard delivery; Dec. 18, non-West Coast standard delivery; Dec. 22, next-day delivery

Raceline Direct (NASCAR-licensed gifts): Dec. 20

Spiegel (general merchandise): 8 p.m. Dec. 22, express delivery Stew Leonard’s (food): Dec. 12, standard delivery; Dec. 22, overnight service

The Swiss Colony (food): Dec. 12

Viva Terra (gifts): Dec. 9, ground; Dec. 22, next-day delivery