A retail expert shares smart strategies for snagging meaningful gifts before shipping cutoffs hit

• Rushed shopping leads to overspending Convenience fees, impulse buys, and skipped price checks can quickly blow your budget.

• Real deals are still available Retailers keep strong promotions on toys, beauty, winter apparel, and home gifts throughout December.

• A simple plan goes a long way Compare prices, stack savings, and use digital gifts or same-day pickup to stay in control, even at the last minute.

The final countdown to the holidays is officially on and if youre still hunting for gifts, youre far from alone.

Shipping deadlines are coming up fast, stores are getting crowded, and the pressure to grab something (anything!) can make it easy to overspend.

However, last-minute shopping doesnt have to mean blowing your budget or settling for gifts that miss the mark.

ConsumerAffairs interviewed RetailMeNots Retail Insights Expert, Stephanie Carls to learn how consumers can stretch their dollars, avoid common last-minute traps, and still pick up thoughtful presents right up until the final hours of the season.

Avoid spending traps

While time may be running out, that doesnt mean youre out of options. Carls encourages last-minute shoppers not to count themselves out just yet.

When people feel rushed, they stop comparing prices and click the first thing with a fast-shipping badge, she said. Thats when overspending wins. Rush fees, convenience charges, and impulse add-ons stack up quickly, and shoppers dont realize how much theyre paying for the feeling of I just need this done.

Last-minute shopping isnt the issue. Its when people stop shopping and start settling.

Last-minute deals still exist

Not only should you not give up on the possibility of finding thoughtful gifts this year, but Carls is emphasizing that you can still find deals, too.

Retailers know procrastinators shop in massive numbers, so they keep real deals on the table, she said. Some of the strongest categories right now are toys, beauty and fragrances, winter apparel, and home or tool gifts.

These tend to carry solid promotions all the way through December, including discounts that echo earlier holiday pricing. December used to just be a time to shop after Black Friday, now its where the sleeper savings show up!

Your plan shouldnt change

Though it may feel like you have no time left, Carls encourages shoppers to have the same game plan going into last-minute shopping as you would at the beginning of the holiday shopping season.

Last-minute shopping doesnt have to feel out of control, Carls said. You just need a plan even a loose one. Compare prices, stack your savings, and dont assume the best deals are behind you, because retailers know shoppers arent finished yet.

Digital gifts, curbside pickup, and same-day options mean procrastinators have more backup plans than ever. At this point, the last-minute scramble isnt a crisis. Its a holiday tradition.

Officials set higher bar for additional cuts

Fed cuts rates for third straight meeting, lowers benchmark to three-year low
Rare three-way split underscores internal debate over inflation vs. jobs
Officials signal higher bar for any further reductions

Federal Reserve officials lowered interest rates for the third consecutive meeting on Wednesday, but signaled theyre in no hurry to cut further as divisions widen inside the central bank over what poses the bigger threat stubborn inflation or a weakening job market.

The policy committee voted 93 to approve a quarter-point reduction in the benchmark federal-funds rate, bringing it to a range of 3.5% to 3.75%, its lowest level in three years. It marked the first time since 2018 that three officials dissented on a single rate decision, highlighting the challenge of navigating an economy showing mixed signals.

The action should make home mortgages a bit more affordable. Home affordability has been improving latelyas home prices dip in some markets and mortgage rates continue to fall closer to the 6% level. Freddie Mac reported its latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey showedthe 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.19% last week.

Mortgage rates decreased for the second straight week as we emerged from the Thanksgiving holiday, said Sam Khater, Freddie Macs chief economist. Compared to this time last year, mortgage rates are half a percent lower, creating a more favorable environment for homebuyers and homeowners.

Three dissenters highlight conflicting priorities

Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee and Kansas City Fed President Jeff Schmid argued the rate cut wasnt justified, pointing to stalled progress on inflation. Fed governor Stephen Miran, however, wanted a more aggressive move, favoring a half-point reduction to guard more forcefully against a slowdown in hiring.

The unusually split vote underscored a broader debate within the central bank: whether to keep pressure on inflation that has stopped easing or move more decisively to support a labor market showing early signs of cooling.

Officials set higher bar for additional cuts

Wednesdays move was designed to insure against a sharper-than-expected drop in employment growth. But officials made clear that further reductions arent guaranteed. Their postmeeting statement said the extent and timing of future cuts would depend on how the economic outlook evolves language reminiscent of the Feds pivot to the sidelines after a round of cuts last year.

With inflation no longer improving and hiring softening only gradually, policymakers suggested they need clearer evidence of labor-market deterioration before taking rates lower again.

Outlook: cautious path ahead

The Feds calibrated message signals a central bank attempting to balance two risks at once: cutting too little and allowing a jobs downturn to accelerate, or cutting too much and allowing inflation pressures to reignite. For now, officials appear content to pause and watch incoming data, even as internal disagreements make the next steps less predictable.

Incentives shrink as Uber reassesses economics

Uber cuts EV incentives as costs rise
Drivers face uncertainty amid shrinking bonuses
Company shifts focus to autonomous electric fleets

Uber is scaling back its once-high-profile effort to convert its driver fleet to electric vehicles, slashing bonuses and ending several programs that previously rewarded drivers for switching from gas cars to EVs. The move marks a significant recalibration of the companys clean-transportation strategy at a moment when EV adoption nationwide has slowed.

For years, Uber offered thousands of dollars in bonuses to drivers who purchased or leased electric vehicles. But those incentives proved costly, and internal spending fell short of the companys own targets. Uber is now discontinuing many of these payments, leaving drivers who had counted on them facing new financial uncertainty.

Market headwinds contribute to slowdown

The shift comes against a backdrop of nationwide EV headwinds: cooling demand, higher interest rates, and slower charging-infrastructure buildout. With the market softening, Uber is reevaluating how aggressively it can push EV adoption among independent drivers already struggling with high vehicle costs.

Rather than funding individual EV purchases, Uber is steering more of its electrification investment toward partnerships with autonomous-vehicle companies. The company has signaled it will rely increasingly on electric robotaxis developed with partners such as Nuro and Lucid, betting that dedicated fleets will deliver emissions reductions faster and more predictably than incentives for its distributed driver base.

Climate pledges now face tougher path

Uber has committed to becoming a zero-emission platform in the U.S., Canada, and Europe by 2030. Cutting EV incentives raises questions about whether it can meet those goals, especially if driver adoption slows. The company maintains that autonomous electric fleets will help keep it on track, but critics say the transition may now require more aggressive regulatory or industry pressure.

Reward the person working hard to get your packages delivered this holiday

• Say Alexa, thank my driver on any Alexa device or in the Alexa app, or type thank my driver in the Amazon search bar to trigger the $5 tip

• Amazon sends $5 (from Amazon, not you) to the driver from your most recent U.S. delivery made within the last 14 days, one thank you per delivery

• You cant undo a thank my driver, and order problems (missing or damaged items) still need to be handled through Your Orders, not this feature

Amazon quietly launched a little feature that lets you actually send money to the person who drops boxes on your porch all year. This is a limited time thing that Amazon launched specifically for this years busy holiday season.

Every time you use Thank My Driver the right way, your driver gets $5 from Amazon, at no cost to you. Its Amazons way of letting customers show appreciation and also connecting drivers with the people they serve.

How to thank your driver in 10 seconds

Youve got a couple easy ways to trigger the thank you on the Amazon platform:

1. Use Alexa

Say: Alexa, thank my driver.

This can be said to any Alexa-enabled device connected to your Amazon account or through the Alexa app on your phone.

Alexa will send the thank you to the driver who delivered your most recent package (as long as it was delivered within the last 14 days).

2. Use the Amazon app or website

You can also simply open the Amazon app or go to Amazon in your browser.

In the search bar, type: thank my driver.

Then just follow the prompt, and it will thank the driver for your most recent delivery and give them $5.

Thats it, Amazon has kept it really simple. No order number, no form, nothing complicated.

Who can you thank (and how often)?

A few basics so you know how it works behind the scenes:

Which drivers are eligible?

Any driver who delivers Amazon packages in the United States can receive a thank you.

Which delivery gets the thank you?

The thank you goes to the driver who handled your most recent delivery, and that delivery has to be within the last 14 days.

Can you thank the same delivery more than once?

You can say thank my driver multiple times for the same delivery, but the system will only count one thank you per delivery for that driver.

So, if you really loved your last driver, you can talk about it all you want, but theyll receive one official thank you for that stop. Your best option is to wait until their next delivery andthank them again and theyll get another $5 added to their paycheck.

No Echo? No smartphone? You still have options

You dont need a house full of smart speakers to use this feature.

If you dont own an Echo device:

Just can use the Alexa app on your smartphone:

• Open the Alexa app
• Tap the Alexa button
• Say, Alexa, thank my driver.

If you dont own a smartphone at all you can still participate:

• Go to amazon.com on a computer
• Type thank my driver in the search bar and follow the prompts

The bottom line is thisif you can get to the Amazon website, you can thank your driver.

What if something went wrong with your order?

Thank my driver cant be undone once youve initiated it, and keep in mind that its not meant for complaints.

If you have an issue with your order (missing item, damaged box, wrong product), go to Your Orders on Amazon and use the normal feedback and support options there.