Surprise — Christmas is days away. If you haven’t finished your gift shopping yet, you’re running out of options. Not even your Amazon Prime membership can help you now. Trust me. I’ve scoured through Amazon pages looking for gift ideas that will arrive before Christmas. They’ve all disappeared as of a few days ago. (BTW — Anyone but me notice that Amazon Prime’s two-day shipping just isn’t a thing anymore??!)
At this point, you must walk into a store to finish your gift shopping. You could do it the old-fashioned way. Drive to your local Target, Best Buy, Walmart, etc., and spend hours wandering the aisles, looking for minimally acceptable gifts among sparsely populated store shelves.
That doesn’t sound fun.
A more efficient option, in my opinion, is to buy online, pick up in store (aka BOPIS). Don’t get me wrong — you’ll still spend too much time searching for available products. At this point, unless you live in New York or LA, it’s probably slim pickins out there. But at least you can do your last-minute shopping from the comfort of your own home, with refreshments close by.
Here’s a list of stores where you can BOPIS (yeah, I just made that acronym a verb…). Buying online and picking up in store may be your last chance to save face with your giftees this year.
Buy online pick up in store same day at these 9 retailers
1. Walmart
Shop Walmart last-minute for beauty gift sets, apparel, and accessories. Check Walmart.com or the Walmart app for available pickup times. According to the Walmart website, you have until midday December 23 to place orders for pickup.
You may also have the option for delivery, depending on where you live.
2. Target
Target has cosmetics, pajamas, wearables, toys, and kitchen goods available for buy online, pick up in store. You can also find beauty-related stocking stuffers like nail polish, loofas, and body scrub.
Target offers order pickup from Target.com or the Target app. The item’s page on the website or app will tell you whether the item is eligible for pickup. Usually, your order can be ready for pickup within two hours.
Note that “buy online & pickup” is not the same as Ship to Store. Target’s Ship to Store option will take up to a week.
You can also opt for “Drive Up” service from within the Target app. With “Drive Up,” you park in a designated section and a Target representative brings the order to your car.
3. Walgreens
Order online from Walgreens and you can pick up your products in as fast as 30 minutes. You can find some fabulous gifts within Walgreens’ extensive beauty collection — that beats gifting someone toilet paper or toothpaste (the other items we all routinely buy at Walgreens).
You can shop Walgreens online or in the Walgreens app. You’ll receive a notification when your order is ready and you can pick up in store, in the drive-through, or curbside where available.
4. DSW
You probably don’t want to buy shoes as gifts, but DSW.com does carry some nice accessories. You must place your order before 6 p.m. local time or four hours before close, whichever is earlier.
5. Old Navy
You already know Old Navy has a huge selection of fashion basics — sweatshirts, t-shirts, leggings, etc. These can make fun gifts. The store also has an online gift guide that includes slippers, t-shirts, socks, and more.
OldNavy.com gets most orders ready for pickup within two hours.
6. Kohl’s
Budget Fashionista Tip: Get coupon codes now with Capital One shopping. Here’s how.
You could possibly find gifts for several friends at Kohls.com. The department store has jewelry, clothing, accessories, beauty items, and home décor pieces.
Your order will be ready in two hours or less, assuming you place the order more than two hours before closing time.
7. Sephora
When in doubt, a beauty gift fits the bill for the style-minded ladies in your life. Plus, you can earn or redeem Sephora loyalty rewards in the process.
Sephora.com accepts BOPIS orders until 4 p.m. local time on December 24. Depending on where you live, you may also have the option for curbside pickup or same-day delivery. Same-day delivery orders are available until 3 p.m. local time.
Personal tangent: You know, I’m hosting a Christmas Eve dinner. I’m wondering how my family would feel if I had all their presents delivered from Sephora while we’re munching on appetizers?
8. Ulta
Ulta is another speedy option. Use Ulta.com and your buy-online, pick-up-in-store order should be ready for pickup within two hours if you order by 6 p.m. or two hours before close. My local Ulta closes at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve — which makes the order cutoff time 4 p.m., the same as Sephora.
