PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY ORDERS SUBMITTED NOW, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF E-GIFT CARDS AND GIFT CARDS, ARE NOT GUARANTEED TO BE PROCESSED, READY FOR PICK-UP, OR SHIPPED BY CHRISTMAS EVE. We continue to be open for in-store shopping and browsing every day from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (masks required), and can also help you by phone at 831-423-0900 during those hours.
We want everyone to get their orders in time for Christmas, but with our current backlog of web orders, we can no longer guarantee that any orders submitted at this point will be ready in time for that holiday. The except to this are e-gift card orders (which the recipient can ONLY use on the Bookshop Santa Cruz website) and physical gift card orders, which we are able to expedite in a way we cannot with regular book or gift orders.
If your gift won't be making it in time, we've got you covered. Click here for a print-at-home certificate to let people know their books are on the way!
This holiday season has been different from any other holiday season at Bookshop Santa Cruz. This year we have faced (and are facing) shipping delays, supply chain shortages and COVID safety protocols which alters the number of working desks we can employ at one time. We hired 14 new booksellers to meet the needs of holiday staffing during COVID and upgraded our technology, but even with those efforts, it is currently taking over a week to process web orders. In large part this is due to the overwhelming support we are seeing from our customers which is sustaining the bookstore during this difficult time, but as such, this delay means we can no longer reasonably guarantee that your order will be ready by the holiday.
Know that unlike our internet counterparts that use robots for fulfillment, each of your orders is handpicked by a dedicated bookseller who ensures that it is ordered, selected, rung through, set on hold, or shipped with care. Each order that arrives from us will arrive along with the love of our community.
As always, if you need immediate assistance or have a time sensitive order prior to Christmas, we are open for in-store shopping, limited capacity shopping from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (mask required) or are available by phone at 831-423-0900. Please note that due to COVID-19 social distancing and safety protocol, service may take longer than you may be used to in years past during the holidays. We appreciate your patience and support during the COVID-19 health crisis, and wish you happy holidays.
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Thank you so much for shopping with Bookshop Santa Cruz this holiday season!
This holiday season is different from any other holiday season at Bookshop Santa Cruz. This year we face shipping delays, supply chain shortages and COVID safety protocols which alters the number of working desks we can employ at one time. We hired 14 new booksellers to meet the needs of holiday staffing during COVID and upgraded our technology but even with those efforts, it is currently taking up to a week to process web orders. In large part this is due to the overwhelming support we are seeing from our customers which is sustaining the bookstore during this difficult time.
Know that unlike our internet counterparts that use robots for fulfillment, each of your orders is handpicked by a dedicated bookseller who ensures that it is ordered, selected, rung through, set on hold or shipped with care. Each order that arrives from us will arrive along with the love of our community.
Therefore, to meet our customers’ needs for the holidays, please note the following deadlines:
Online orders for priority shipping: December 10th
Care Packages or Stocking Stuffer Grab Bag orders for shipping: December 11th
Online orders for curbside pickup by Christmas Eve for books listed as “On Our Shelves Now”: December 14th
Care Packages or Stocking Stuffer Grab Bag orders for curbside pickup by Christmas Eve: December 14th
Please note that anything that is listed as “Usually Ships from Warehouse” takes an additional 3 to 10 days to arrive to our door and books listed as “Backordered” or “Hard to Find” will not arrive in time for the holidays.
As always, if you need immediate assistance or have a time sensitive order prior to Christmas, we are open for in-store shopping, limited capacity shopping from 9 AM - 9 PM (mask required) or are available by phone at 831-423-0900.
We thank you for your patience and understanding. We are working tirelessly to get the books and gifts in your hands to make your holidays bright.
Bookshop Santa Cruz
These deadlines are based off of our current estimated time needed for our staff to process online orders and shipments, and USPS's holiday delivery deadlines within the contiguous US. The US Postal Service IS currently experiencing delays, and so we strongly suggest you order AHEAD of these deadlines for any orders to be shipped, to allow for potential USPS delays.
Please refer to our Shipping FAQ for more information on Shipping.
Please note that for orders placed on our website, all books have an Availability Status which indicates if the book is on our shelves or not. Bookshop Santa Cruz's inventory syncs with our website once per day overnight, so books marks "On Our Shelves Now" were as of the previous night. All other books will have to be ordered from our distributor's warehouses or a publisher, which may take anywhere from 2-14 days to arrive at Bookshop Santa Cruz, or may be unavailable if marked "Backordered" or "Hard to Find." For more information on Availability Statuses and navigating our website, as well as our process for fulfilling web orders, please check our Website FAQ.
For any additional questions not answered here or by our FAQs, you can reach us at by emailing info@bookshopsantacruz.com or by calling us at 831-423-0900 between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm PST.
Happy Holidays, and stay safe!