First time at Selhurst Park

Hello! US fan here. We’ll be visiting Selhurst Park for the first time next weekend. The posts in this group have been incredibly helpful. I have a couple of questions I couldn’t find, though:

-Is it better to visit the team shop before or after the match? I’d prefer to go after so I don’t have to worry about carrying what I buy into the stadium, but wasn’t sure about the queue length afterwards. -How early would you suggest getting there? This is our first ever premier league experience and want to take it all in. How early are fans in their seats?

And, of course, if you have any other advice for a first-timer, I’d love to hear it. We’ll be coming from central London and sitting in AW-Y. Thank you!