If you, like most of us, love a bit of retail therapy from time to time, you might be wondering if there is anything you can do to speed up the more annoying elements of the process, like standing in line, so you can save more of your precious time while still enjoying the experience.

Make a list

Making a list of everything you want to buy is a good idea because it will enable you to map out which shops you plan to visit and that means you will spend less time wandering around aimlessly in the hopes of hitting upon the right place to visit.

Once you have written your list, look up all the shops in your local city or mall, and plan the best route to get you to each one in the least amount of time possible.

Use ApplePay

Using Apple Pay or similar on your phone might seem like a minor thing, but if you look at this guide to EMV vs NFC payments, you will realize that you can save a huge amount of time when you do not have to bother putting your pin into the machine before each transaction, You can simply touch your phone to the terminal and your payment will be processed immediately. This is why so many businesses are now adopting NFC technology.

Use a personal shopper

If you are shipping in a department store, then having your own personal shopper who knows the store like the back of their hand, can save you time in finding what you need, and they will help you to get through the checkout more quickly too. Not only that, but they are great at identifying outfits, and other stuff, that will suit your needs well and enhance your life in a number of ways. Many of them work for commission only, so they can be very affordable even if you only have a modest budget to work with, too.

Stick to one store

Sticking to one store, such as a department store, that sells most of what you need, will also mean you spend less time traveling and more time enjoying the process of shopping until you drop.

Do it all online

Of course, you could save a huge amount of time by simply shopping online instead. That way, you don’t have to fight with traffic or worry about finding the things you want - you can just type what you’re looking for and it will pop up ready for you to buy. Of course, this is not always as much fun as shopping in person, so maybe save it for those boring household items that are necessary but not exactly a joy to go out and hunt for.

Shopping might be fun, but with most of us leading such busy lives, it is never a bad idea to know what you can do to save time when you’re out shopping, and the above tips will certainly help you with that.