Gifts under $20 available at discount stores, on the Web.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Kathryn Wexler

With all the presents that come due each December, no one's going to complain if you set an upper limit of $20 for certain gifts.

Well, not to your face, anyway.

And with some serious sleuthing at great discount stores like Loehmann's, Marshalls and Ross, it's not likely they'll be able to tell the difference. Add to that the abundance of Internet options, and finding quality gifts at low prices is perfectly feasible.

What's more, you'll have lots of company. According to the New York City-based customer loyalty research firm Brand Keys, about 75 percent of shoppers surveyed will at least partly rely on discount department stores like Kmart and Target for holiday shopping.

``What we've found in the past couple years is that ... folks want to be seen as being smart about where they shop,'' said president Robert Passikoff. ``It's the Wise Shopper syndrome.''

When buying gifts for women this year, consider vintage and hand-crafted jewelry. The online company Ruby Lane (www.rubylane.com) sells jewelry from vendors and artisans who use fixed prices or bids.