As I post I forgot there are a few states they have to charge taxes.
I love Amazon Prime. I buy everything I can there. Clothes, TVs, computers, shoes, appliances, household products and etc. One thing nobody has mentioned is you don’t pay sales tax. Where I live if you average $100 a month, the tax savings pays for the membership. Clothes or shoes don’t fit, print out the prepaid label and send back free. I take care of some friends on mine and have the stuff delivered to their address. My grandkids live out of state. I would have their mom get them on Amazon and make a Christmas wish list (mom would email me with the link to each item). I would then pick out what I wanted to get them and have it shipped to their mom who would wrap them. For a small fee they will wrap and include a card with your message. I don’t know if they still do but ordering a large flat screen they had White Glove Delivery. Two guys unboxed it and took the box. Don’t forget the share with family members (very loose on the family thing) or friends. Add 4 of them and charge them, $20 and you all get a deal. They get the 2 day ship and tax free. Now 2 of them can even get the full Prime Deal.
While they are “local”, I have 6 great nieces - an 8-year old, 4 7-year olds and a 5-year old and that’s what I do - have their parents give me links to items on Amazon for Christmas and birthdays from their wish lists (and 5 of them have birthday’s within 3 weeks of each other!) and if clothing items, the parents give me their sizes.
The other thing I like is the selection. For instance, last year for Christmas I got all 6 of the girls boots – not Uggs, actually nicer boots, very cute and for a better price. But while all were by the same manufacturer and similar in style and price, I picked out 6 different colors, their favorite colors, similar but slightly different styles, but I also had to get them in 5 different sizes. Truthfully, even at a big shoe store, even a DSW, I very much doubt I could have found them all, all the different colors and sizes I needed, at least not without driving around to several stores if even then. I did similar with the outfits and necklaces I bought them last year for Christmas along with the boots – all similar but all different and different sizes. And believe me, girls even at their age are “competitive” and will notice if one gets something perceived to be “more” than the others got so I try to make sure I “even it out”.
In some cases, I’ve sent the parents’ my ideas for a gift - a link to an item on Amazon and was glad I did in advance. I thought one of my great nieces would love and Ant Farm – mom and dad…well…not so much! LOL!
I also like reading the reviews before I purchase. Some “bad” reviews are so ridiculous as to be ignored and some so glowing as to be suspicious so I go for the ones in-between. I only had to return one outfit for not being the right size but it was very easy to do and I got the correct size very quickly.
For the older great niece (in college) and the older great nephew (in HS and just turned 18) I get them Amazon gift cards. The gift “cards” are delivered via email, I print them out at home and put them in a card holder. The older great niece loves them as she can find many used books that she needs for school and as to the great nephew, I have no idea what a 17 or 18-year-old “guy” wants so a gift card lets him purchase what he really wants.
I used to like running around at Christmas going to several mall and stores but I don’t have the patience for it anymore; the parking lots, trying to find a check out especially in a department store anymore, rude shoppers, trying to find what I’m looking for... With on-line shopping, especially on Amazon - click, click, click from the comfort of my home and I’m done! It typically takes me more time to wrap the gifts than it does for me to shop for them.