By Patricia O'Connell

Shopping: You either love it or hate it. Regardless of which camp you fall into (I'm in the former), you have no choice come the holidays. But even for dedicated shoppers, buying for everyone can be daunting -- not to mention expensive. Here are some tips on how to get high quality while keeping spending under control.

Do Your Homework: If your father has his heart set on shearling slippers for Christmas, don't just run out and buy the first pair you see. With the Internet, you have no excuse for being an uninformed shopper. Look at the slippers online at the Web sites of a few stores. What do they have in common? What are the differences?

You may decide that it's not worth it to pay $20 more to get a pair with nonskid soles. But at least you'll be making an informed decision. Remember, the Internet is a low-pressure way to do some exploring. No sales pitch, no clerk trying to earn a commission.

Also, looking online will give you an idea of what things should cost to help you determine if you're getting good value. Plus, the Web can be a source for discount certificates and information about store sales.

Shop Early and Often: The old adage about voting certainly works for gift-buying. By early, I don't mean early in the day. (In fact, it often makes more sense to go shopping at an odd hour -- mid-morning, mid-afternoon, rather than lunchtime or right after work.) But it's never too soon to start buying the things that you know you'll need to buy eventually: trinkets for colleagues, little gifts to bring to holiday parties. Any by never too soon, that means the after-Christmas sales -- to get a head start on next year.

But right now you need to focus on this year's gift list. If you see it, you like it, and the price is reasonable, buy it -- now. What you like may not be there in a week, let alone in a month. Also, who has time to visit the same stores over and over? If you're going to shop often, cover a lot of different ground -- not the same ground over and over.

Get Store Credit Cards: Yes, the interest on these pieces of plastic is usually ruinous, if not usurious -- 20% or more isn't uncommon. And some might argue that the temptation to buy is greater if you have multiple credit cards. But if you're smart, you won't carry a balance on the store cards for more than a month. You can just as easily go nuts at Victoria's Secret armed with MasterCard or Visa as you can with the lingerie chain's "Angel" card.

The advantage to getting a store card is that many give you a discount on your first day's purchases when you open an account and give you a lifetime courtesy discount of 5%. Saving 15% right off the bat isn't so bad. Plus, as a store-card-carrying shopper, you'll get coupons and advisories about preferred-customer sales throughout the year.

Get to Know the Employees in Your Favorite Stores: If someone knows your taste and your general buying habits -- what type of things you favor, the price range you're usually operating in -- they can put things aside for you or let you know when something comes in that you might like. Or once you're in the store, they can direct you to items that you might overlook.

Friendships can be formed fast: One day last week, I struck up a quick conversation with a saleswoman while standing on line to pay. I knew I had a good 10 minutes to kill (the store was crowded, thanks to a big sale), and I asked her if she could get me a pair of shoes to try on while I waited. She brought me the shoes, I put them on where I stood, and I bought them. Given that many clerks work on some kind of commission or incentive basis, they're often eager to become pals, too.

Know What Ye Seek, All Who Have Entered Here: Don't go around thinking, "I want to get my sister something fabulous." That could mean anything -- a pet, sweater, calligraphy pen, antique brooch. If you're really stumped about what to get someone, it's fine to do a little wandering around in a funky store or poking around on eBay (EBAY ) for inspiration. But you can't assume that you'll have the eureka moment. And a desperate shopper is someone who makes poor choices.

If all else fails, buy someone something that you like. If they hate it, you can always offer to trade them something. Or maybe they'll forget who gave it to them, and you could come out ahead when they decide to regift it to you next year.

O'Connell is assistant news editor at BusinessWeek Online in New York