If Jared Gancazk had the money, he would buy all of his friends gifts this holiday season.
But the business junior is a working student who spends what he has on his parents.
“When you’re in college, you have a larger circle of friends,” he said. “It’s harder to single out people unless they’re your ‘best’ friend, and everyone else knows it.”
Students have less than three weeks to finish their holiday shopping before the big day.
Students on campus have many different plans for holiday shopping, but all are looking to save money.
Emily Gurdian, history and secondary education freshman, said she probably isn’t getting anything for her parents.
“My parents would rather me not spend on them at all,” she said. “My mom thinks it’s pointless.”
Courtney Carpenter, pre-nursing sophomore, is pushing back her holiday shopping because she is concerned with exams.
She said she plans on spending about $250 during the holiday on her family and friends.
“It really sucks that I have to do things last minute [because of school],” she said. “I like shopping in stores rather than online.”
Local clothing store Storyville, located on West Chimes Street, is gearing up for its first Christmas. Co-owner Rebekah Harvey said there has been a reasonable crowd, and she expects more after finals.
She said the store’s Internet sales have been rising. Other students have visited the store to get their holiday shopping out of the way.
Students buying for friends usually get a T-shirt or two, but students buying for family come with long lists, she said.
Carpenter said last minute store shopping can be rough, and the places she shops at depends on who she’s shopping for.
She tends to buy from smaller, intimate stores for her family but shops at larger chains for her friends.
“Coffee shop gift certificates are great,” she said. “What college student can’t benefit from that?”
Albert Denoux, accounting sophomore, is also concerned with finals, but he has already purchased his mother’s present. He knows he has more shopping to do.
Denoux said he shops just about everywhere. From local stores, to larger chains, to online shopping, he said his store choice depends on the how much time he has and what he is looking to buy.
Denoux’s end of the year bonus from work makes up a majority of his spending money, but he understands most students aren’t as lucky to have the extra income for shopping.
Becky Ebberman, history and secondary education sophomore, said she doesn’t know what to get for her parents, and she doesn’t know what to tell them to get her this year.
Gurdian said if she did see something her mother really needed, she would end up splitting the price with her sister.
Ebberman and Gurdian aren’t too concerned with last minute shopping. Ebberman said she has lucked out since her winter job is at the mall, making it convenient to shop during her breaks.
Ebberman said she spends different amounts on different people.
“Even if you find a gift that would be a perfect idea for someone, finding out it’s $100 may change your decision,” she said.
—-Contact Adam Pfleider at [email protected]