At first blush, the idea of hiring a personal Christmas shopper might come off as cold, lazy and distant, but I encourage you to look deeper: shopping for your family is not only laborious, but perilous, too. Unwanted purchases can leave both the giver and receiver with total, utter regret. And while I’m sure personal shopping has been available for decades in one form or another—secretaries with shopping lists, friends and family picking up stuff at the store for you while they’re out—it was only a matter of time before the service became a commodity itself. So it shouldn’t be too shocking that Rita Cooper wants to do your holiday shopping for you. In fact, you can call her anytime and she will arrange a meeting with you to discuss who needs to be shopped for, what kind of person they are (everything from tastes to body type), and how much money you’re looking to spend on them. After that, $65 an hour gets you all the shopping you need—and for Cooper, perfection is the ultimate goal. Cooper says her mission is to find the “perfect gift,” and if she doesn’t find it the first time she’ll go out again, free of charge. We’ve all gone through bad gifts before; maybe now is the time to consider a personal shopper—it may be the only way to ensure a painless holiday. RITA COOPER, FASHION CONSULTANT/PERSONAL GIFT SHOPPER 310.897.3808

Tags: Buy Curious, holiday shopping, Long Beach, personal shopper