As Summer Fades, Retailers Set Their Sights On The Holiday Shopping Season
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There was a chill in the air and a bit of winter this week, but is it too soon to shop for the winter holidays?
As CBS 2's Don Champion found out, many retailers are ready when you are.
From K-Mart commercials to Toys R' Us offering lay-away online, summer isn't over-- but the holiday shopping season has already started.
"The kids are grown, I don't think about it anymore," Rosalyn Smith said.
While some aren't bothered, others like Caroline Sanders are pumped.
"I'll probably start and every month I will do some more shopping so that come early December, I'll be done," Sanders said.
With the economy on the up, retailers are trying to woo shoppers early in hopes that they are willing to spend more this year.
"I'm doing much better financially. I'm working now so I will definitely be spending a lot more money on my son and family," Ritchie Morales said.
Not everyone is put off by the idea of shopping early. The National Retail Federation estimates 20 percent of Americans have already started their holiday shopping.
"Retailers want to get consumers excited," Mark LoCastro, with DealNews.com, explained.
LoCastro says to expect a fierce competition between online retailers and brick and mortar stores this year. He said that deals will get better as we inch closer to November, but said that now is the time to do research.
"Put up price alerts, email alerts, and let the deals start coming to you so you could start seeing what the average price is for a 55-inch TV. Look at it every week, so if a deal pops up, you know you're getting a real deal," LoCastro said.
"I think it's really good, because I'm going to impulse spend at the last second and buy everything like whatever," Talia Repps said.
Expect to see deals popping up around Black Friday. Experts predict big savings on large TVs and tablets.
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