Anecdotal evidence suggests that consumers are waiting later and later to complete their holiday shopping. That puts catalogers at a disadvantage to their brick-and-mortar counterparts, many of whom stay open through Christmas Eve.
A random sampling of consumer catalogers shows that several are doing their best to enable forgetful or lazy shoppers to wait until just before Christmas to order their gifts — although they charge extra for the privilege. Three of the catalogers reviewed — Godiva Chocolatier, J. Jill, and L.L. Bean — guarantee Christmas delivery of in-stock items so long as they’re ordered by Dec. 23. J. Jill’s deadline of 3 p.m. Eastern time is several hours more lenient than the deadlines of Godiva and Bean.
The expedited-shipping deadlines of some of the catalogs were earlier than the standard-shipping deadlines of others. For instance, Bean offers standard delivery of orders received by 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 22 — later than the expedited-delivery deadlines for Bits and Pieces, Constructive Playthings, American Girl, Astrographics, and Stock Yards.
Mauna Loa had the earliest deadlines. But then the company, which sells Hawaiian food gifts, has a good excuse: It has to ship its products from the Big Island.
| Catalog | Standard shipping deadline (EST) | Expedited shipping Catalog deadline (EST) |
|---|---|---|
| American Girl (dolls) | Dec. 10 | Dec. 21 |
| Astrographics (prints and related gifts) | Dec. 14 | Dec. 21 |
| Bits and Pieces (gifts) | Dec. 14 | Dec. 19 |
| Bloomingdale’s by Mail (women’s apparel) | Dec. 20, 1 p.m. | Dec. 22, 1 p.m. |
| Constructive Playthings (toys) | Dec. 17, noon | Dec. 20, noon |
| Discovery Channel Store (gifts) | Dec. 19, midnight | Dec. 22, midnight |
| Godiva Chocolatier (chocolates) | Dec. 19, 11 p.m. | Dec. 23, 11 a.m. |
| Harry and David (food gifts) | Dec. 17 | Dec. 22 |
| J. Jill (women’s apparel) | Dec. 20, midnight | Dec. 23, 3 p.m. |
| L.L. Bean (apparel, outdoor gear, decor) | Dec. 22, 11:30 p.m. | Dec. 23, noon |
| Mauna Loa (Hawaiian food gifts) | Dec. 3 | Dec. 10 |
| Metropolitan Museum of Art Store (gifts) | Dec. 10 | Dec. 22, 2 p.m. |
| Plow & Hearth (housewares, decor) | Dec. 16 | Dec. 22 |
| Solutions (housewares, decor) | Dec. 20, 2 p.m. | Dec. 22, 9 p.m. |
| Spilsbury (toys, novelties) | Dec. 14 | Dec. 22 |
| Stock Yards (food gifts) | Dec. 16 | Dec. 21 |
| Wine Country Gift Baskets (food gifts) | Dec. 17 | Dec. 22 |