Normally at Frisco Savvy we like to talk about shopping and places and people, not so much about current events and news. (Not that we don’t like those things, but there are approximately 1 scrillion websites out there focusing on that stuff. No need to reinvent the wheel.)

But, today we’re going to talk about current events as it relates to shopping, so that should be considered a loophole. Right?

Now, we’re all about avoiding the holiday creep. Appreciate each day as it comes, yadda yadda… don’t rush so fast to put up Christmas lights that you forget to enjoy Thanksgiving… why is the Halloween candy put out at Labor Day… we’re down with that.

But for 2009, the holiday shopping situation is very different. Because of the recession, retailers have been hurting all year. Cash flows were down, and many of them ordered significantly less inventory for Christmas. Stores would far rather run out of stock, than get stuck with lots of seasonal leftovers they can’t move on December 26.

This means that if you want or need the hottest new whatsit for the holidays, you’d better start shopping right now.*

We talked to a couple of local shop owners who confirmed this phenomenon (whom we’ll keep anonymous, lest you think they’ve run out of the good stuff already).

“We order for the holidays in March,” one explained, “and there was no way to predict whether the economy was going to get better for Christmas 2009… or possibly be even worse. I ordered much less for this Christmas than usual.”

Check out this story confirming the trend:

“Can’t find the hot new toy? Blame the economy” – AP, 11/9/09:

Stores, remembering how Americans snapped their wallets shut last holiday season, didn’t order big piles of merchandise in the first place.

The result, with seven weeks to go before Christmas, is that popular toys are already hard to find.

In fact, the holiday season’s early hit — the Zhu Zhu Pets hamster, an interactive mechanical rodent by Cepia Inc. that sells for $9.99 and is being compared to Furby a decade ago — is almost impossible to nab.

Other toys that are already becoming hard to find include Mattel’s Mindflex, which measures brain activity through a helmet, a Nerf dart thrower called Nerf N Strike from Hasbro Inc. and Barbie Fashionista, who can twist her hips and strike other poses.

[Ed. note: Here's another article, at BusinessWeek, noting that retailers are doing things very differently this year in an effort to avoid last year's debacle. Added 11/16/09]

Savvy shoppers like you will circumvent this pesky little holiday challenge. Here’s how:

1. If you see it now, and you really want it, get it. Don’t wait and think, “I’ll go back after Thanksgiving when it goes on sale.” By then it will be gone.

2. Don’t assume the phenomenon is limited to children’s toys. All retailers ordered less. From the AP article: “BaseCamp Adventure Outfitters in Basking Ridge, N.J., which sells outdoor clothing and gear, has sold out of a few styles of fleece jackets from brands like Horny Toad and Prana. The store can’t get more until April. ‘Folks are coming in, and we are trying to reorder,’ said Nick Marotta, a sales associate. ‘But there is nothing to get.’”

Short version: shopping for your teens or adult loved ones? You’ll also need to move quickly.

3. Be wary of fakes and charlatans. A shopping frenzy will always make people desperate, and desperation leads to dumb moves like paying $400 for a piece of knocked off junk on eBay— because your kiddo simply has to have it and Toys-R-Us has been sold out for months. The recession is only going to make the scammers more motivated and the well-meaning buyers more desperate. Shop smart. If it looks too good to be true, it is… especially on Craigslist, eBay, or off the back of a truck. Check an eBay seller’s feedback, and make sure they have a high number of transactions.

4. Consider gift cards. Look, we know that it doesn’t feel like you put much effort into it… like maybe you were being lazy. But think of it as giving the recipient not just a gift but a shopping experience: he or she now gets to personally select his goodie.

The added bonus is that you don’t have to beat someone down in the parking lot at Target because she just bought the last Zhu Zhu Pet. Because trust us— what won’t look good on you is a mugshot, mmkay?

We’ll help you out over the next couple of weeks, with some Savvy shopping recommendations and links. Don’t be afraid. We’ll get through this madness together!

* seriously, why are you still looking at this website? Get out there! Get some great gifts!

p.s. We’ve added a new feature to Frisco Savvy, where if you like a story you see here, you can pass it on to a friend. There’s a little email envelope icon down below just for that. So, let’s say you need to encourage your boyfriend. You could email him this article with a note that he better not wait, or those diamond earrings will be ALL SOLD OUT! Just a thought.