Happy to be part of the RBC Avion Holiday Boutique Blogger Campaign with Mom Central Canada. This one’s sponsored.
What if I told you holiday shopping didn’t have to involve sweating half to death in your winter coat while you fight your way through crowds? Imagine if you didn’t have to lug all your purchases around the mall and across a vast frozen expanse of parking lot. And then picture arriving home with all of your gifts already wrapped.
No, I have not completely lost my mind. Nor am I trying to sell you on some sort of crazy expensive, luxury shopping experience enjoyed by Jennifer Lopez and Reese Witherspoon. I am talking about a holiday shopping service that is FREE to all RBC Avion Visa card holders.
I went to Yorkdale Shopping Centre last week for the opening of the RBC Avion Holiday Boutique and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. An exclusive lounge just for Avioners? Why? Am I too good for the food court? The short answer is yes. NOBODY wants to deal with mad holiday crowds in the food court or anywhere else.
My experience began with me circling around a full parking lot, dreading the unavoidable trek to the mall through bitter winter winds. Except, no! If you have an Avion card, you get valet parking. All you have to do is drive over to the Holt Renfrew side of Yorkdale Shopping Centre and show the valet your Avion card and your parking will be taken care of just like that. I have never, ever, had valet parking before in my life and, let me tell you, a girl could get used to that kind of service.
And since the only thing worse than crowds of holiday shoppers is sweating buckets under your winter coat while dealing with those crowds, your first stop should be the RBC Avion Boutique to avail yourself of the complimentary coat check. At this point, you could enjoy a coffee and relax in an armchair across from the grand piano. Or you can get right to it and actually learn to enjoy holiday shopping. I mean, here you are at the mall with permission to spend money and spoil all your best people. It should be fun. (And, omg, I forgot how beautiful Yorkdale is.)
I ducked out and picked up a couple gifts and then brought them back to be beautifully wrapped while I sipped a mochachino and caught up on my reading. (Okay, fine, it was just regular coffee, but I totally could have gotten something more fancy.)
Whatever will I do with myself on Christmas Eve if I’m not frantically wrapping a pile of gifts? I’m going to have to start a new tradition!
But first I’ll have to go back to Yorkdale to finish my shopping because I haven’t had that much quality time to myself since prenatal yoga class. (Just don’t tell my husband because he thinks I’m taking one for the team by doing all the holiday shopping.) Of course, you could could take your whole family with you, too.
In addition to the Yorkdale location, there are also RBC Avion Holiday Boutiques at Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, Ontario; Coquitlam Centre in Coquitlam, BC; and a mini, pop-up boutique at the Halifax Shopping Centre in Halifax, NS.
Not a Avioner? Don’t worry! When you apply for an RBC Avion Visa card at any of the Holiday Boutiques, you get to start experiencing all the benefits right away. (Or you can use the same services for a small set donation to the Sick Kids Hospital.)
While you’re there, make sure to check out the RBC Rewards display featuring some of the most coveted items from the RBC Rewards Catalogue. There’s also a “Not-so-secret Santa” Twitter contest you enter. Nominate someone by tweeting a photo of any of the items displayed, tagging them in it and then adding the item’s hashtag as well as #AvionVIP. Each week until the end of December, a winner will be drawn.
Disclosure: I am part of the RBC Avion Holiday Boutique Blogger Campaign with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.