Inside: Wondering where to shop for gifts this Christmas instead of – or in addition to – Target, Walmart and Amazon? Here are my favorite places to shop for gifts beyond “The Big Three”.
Before 2025, I loved shopping at Target. When my oldest was born, we actually lived right behind one, and I spent a good amount of time there, pushing a stroller, walking aisle after aisle and enjoying a break from our tiny apartment.
We were a one car family (still are!), and my husband took the car to work five days a week. I had a LOT of free time on my hands as a new stay-at-home mom.
Winters in Boston were long and dreary, my husband worked long hours, and some days, I desperately needed to get out – anywhere I could walk without a car.
I would bundle up my colicky baby and strap her in the stroller, step out the door and walk to Target – a warm, bright and cheery haven from the challenges of new motherhood.
Fast forward a few years, and I still went to Target when I needed an outing for the kids that didn’t cost money. I would tell them that we were absolutely NOT buying anything, but we could look and take pictures and hang out in the toy aisles. They still look back fondly on those outings.
When we weren’t broke anymore, I bought all sorts of things there – home decor, necessities, even Christmas gifts.
It was my happy place…until 2025, that is.
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9+ Places to Shop for Christmas Gifts Instead of “The Big Three”
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After moving to rural Pennsylvania five years ago, Target is now 30-40 minutes away. We would make the occasional Target purchase, but my spending there definitely slowed down.
Still, I love – loved – Target! So when Target abandoned their DEI policies, I felt betrayed, livid, devastated. But the distance made it the easiest thing for me to make a solid break from and cut out completely.
This is the year when more Americans realized that we not only vote for our leaders, but we vote with our dollars. And sometimes, maybe all the time, the dollars vote has an even bigger impact than your civics vote (I’m lookin’ at you, Disney).
We never shopped at Walmart, but I do still shop at Amazon, and yes, for the time being, I’m also still an Amazon affiliate. We are trying our darndest to reduce our spending there, starting with holiday spending, but I don’t think we will be able to cut it out completely anytime soon.
As my kids get older, I have a little more time and energy to put into sourcing gifts elsewhere. So this Christmas some of our gifts will be coming from Amazon, but just as many – and possibly more – will be coming from all the other places on this list.
If you, too, are looking to expand your Christmas shopping beyond Amazon, Walmart and Target this year, these are my favorite places to look for gifts.
If you plan on shopping for gifts from these places, you probably want to start shopping earlier. Especially with the secondhand options, deals might fall through or the items might not be exactly what you were expecting. You need time to make exchanges or shop around.
Related: 15+ Second-Hand Gift Ideas (+ What to Avoid)
1. Facebook Marketplace
With my youngest two on the cusp of moving out of the toy phase of childhood, I wanted to shop secondhand for toy gifts as much as possible. So I purchased a Barbie airplane (no way was I paying $40+ dollars for that!) and a set of the popular stepping stones from FB marketplace (for indoor “floor is lava” use, hopefully).
I shop FB Marketplace frequently for furniture, home decor, kids’ items and just about anything I don’t want to pay full price for.
Tips: the stars do make a difference. If you’re buying from someone with four stars or less, it’s probably because they were either unreliable or uncommunicative. Also, be safe! Always choose a public place to meet up if possible, and if that’s not possible, like with furniture, bring someone with you.
2. eBay
Of all the purchases I’ve made on eBaby, I have only had one purchase not work out and need to be returned (it was a supposedly brand new lamp that was missing a pole).
This year, I purchased a retired Stella baby doll that my daughter asked for Christmas. It can also be a great place to find used books and toys.
Tips: Make sure to check the return policy of the individual seller. eBay buyer protection does exist, but you have to go through a process with the seller first to get your money back if an item was not as described.
3. Thrift Stores
These can be hit or miss depending on the area you live in. I would look for thrift stores in the wealthier side of the town or city you live in.
I would find a thrift store other than Goodwill. They’ve started pricing their items so high that you might as well just go buy the item new, which makes zero sense to me since they theoretically want the products to move.
Tips: If you already have a reliable thrift store, you’re golden! If not, you might want to stick with the FB marketplace option where professional thrift store shoppers resell their best finds, doing the hard work of sifting through it all for you.
4. Local Shops
If you want to buy new, try to shop local first! We have a few shops in our tiny town that have super fun gifts – from stuffed animals to consigned clothes to unique candies.
Some shops will even give you a discount if you’re a local (our town’s bookstore does), so be sure to ask.
5. Etsy
I realize that drop shippers are starting to infiltrate Etsy, but I am still finding so many unique and fun items!
I bought THIS “Rumi hat” (anyone else’s kid obsessed with K Pop Demon Hunters lately?) for my youngest because she’ll be able to wear it all winter in and out of the house, as opposed to all the fake Rumi hair wigs on Amazon.
I also love to shop for fabric, candles and t-shirts on Etsy. I have my eye on several fantastic protest t-shirts these days, too.
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6. Costco
Costco is my favorite place to shop for things I need/want to buy new! They are just a fantastic company as far as I can tell – fair wages, DEI policies, limited hours, and a fantastic return policy. What’s not to love?!
It was a much-anticipated monthly outing for the kids the first couple years of the Pandemic. $1.50 hot dog and soda combo? Yes, please!
We are planning to add an iPad to the family this year, and we’re buying it from Costco (similar price as Amazon). They also have the best Squishmallows and LEGO sets.
I sincerely hope that Costco doesn’t one day break my heart like Target. For now, I love all things Costco.
Tips: There are occasionally deals online that aren’t in stores. And they’ll ship it right to your door pretty quickly, too. If you shop at Costco frequently, the executive membership almost pays for itself with your annual 2% back reward check.
7. Libraries
Our local library sells library merch: t-shirts, hats and sweatshirts with the library name on it. They also sometimes sell local coffee, where a portion of the sales goes to the library. And then there’s the used books.
All the money goes back to support the library. And you know we love libraries and want them to stay funded and open forever and ever!
8. Friends and Family
Do you have friends and family with small businesses?
Maybe your friend crochets the coziest scarves, makes unique bookmarks that put a smile on your face, or creates personal little wooden name blocks. Shop there first!
Unless of course you’re shopping for those friends, then maybe not.
9. The Mall or Outlets
Finally, can we all just agree how crazy it is that some malls have completely died?!
I guess as a minimalist, I should be happy? But I spent a good amount of time there, both as a teenager and as a mom of littles (we did the LEGO store, Chick-fil-a, and free play place loop to survive long winters). It serves as a bit of a “third place” where you can just be there without buying a single thing.
But if you don’t want to shop at the big three, try going directly to the source, instead.
Want to buy Crocs? Go to the Croc store at the outlets or the mall. Want to buy LEGO? Buy directly from the LEGO store. You get the idea.
Shop Intentionally This Holiday Season: Start Expanding Your Shopping Beyond Amazon, Walmart and Target
I want to reiterate: if you still want/need to buy things from Amazon or Walmart or Target, please do! There is absolutely no judgment here.
Heck, Amazon was just at my house yesterday with a new thermostat after the one I purchased from a local hardware store didn’t work (I tried), and we are still ordering some Christmas presents from there.
This isn’t necessarily about saving money either. Sure, some things are cheaper at the big three, but if you mix and match some of the options on this list, I’m willing to bet that you can spend the same or less on Christmas gifts.
This is about intentionality. It’s about voting with our dollars for the world we want. And the world I want has higher wages, better workplace conditions, less consumerism, and more secondhand shopping (the world has enough stuff!).
We’re not shooting for perfection. We’re shooting for just a little bit better than last year. And if we all do that holiday after holiday, we can make a big difference.
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