Christmas shopping is starting very early this year. Here's why.
PEABODY - Christmas shopping in November before Thanksgiving?
What day is Thanksgiving?
Retailers are starting the holiday shopping season early this year because Thanksgiving is so late, on November 28.
At the Northshore Mall in Peabody, Massachusetts, it already looks like December.
How many days till Christmas?
Christmas is still 43 days away, as of Tuesday.
"I was wondering why all the Christmas decorations are up and Santa Claus is here," shopper Kimberly Maas told WBZ-TV Monday.
"We just got over Halloween and we haven't even thought about Thanksgiving yet and we are just skipping right over it, it's crazy. I love sales but it's a little ridiculous."
When is Black Friday?
It's not even close to Black Friday, which isn't until November 29, 17 days away. But, retailers see an opportunity.
"There's been some positive indicators relative to the holiday sales. The first being that five percent increase over people shopping earlier than they did last year," said John Eagles, a Massachusetts retail consultant who tracks holiday shopping trends.
Trends indicate more money will be spent this year than in 2023. With five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, retail stores are taking full advantage.
"They want to ride that wave all the way in through December," Eagles told WBZ. "So I can definitely see a case where they're going to extend promotions."
"The big killer is Amazon"
Brands aren't just benefitting from in-store shopping they're also making a killing online.
"The projections right now is that online will outperform brick and mortar stores," Eagles said "The big killer is Amazon."
"I actually never buy at the mall," said mall visitor Guillermo. He gets his haircut there, but that's about it. "I already know my sizes, so I just go online there's more choices, more deals," he told WBZ.
But he does enjoy the mall's atmosphere and says there's nothing wrong with a little holiday cheer a few weeks early.
"I think it's nice because we can enjoy more Christmas, more time," Guillermo said.
The National Retail Federation expects holiday sales, defined as November 1 through December 31, will hit upwards of $989 billion. That's up about three-percent from last year, which also falls into line with current inflation levels.
