Will shortened holiday season cut into sales, shopping?
Nov 25, 2013, 7:48 AM | Updated: 10:28 am
Despite a shortened holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, experts say retailers don't need to worry about people spending less. (AP file)
(AP file)
With Thanksgiving falling so late this year, there’s plenty of talk a shorter shopping period will cut into holiday sales. But retail experts say the number of days between Thanksgiving and Christmas has nothing to do with how much people will spend during the season.
Thanksgiving day lands on Nov. 28 this year, the latest it can happen since it always falls on the fourth Thursday of the month. That leaves just four weeks or so of shopping.
“No matter how many days there are, they’re going to shop as much as they want to in stores, online, however they’re going to do it,” says Dick Outcalt, a veteran consultant with Seattle-based Outcalt and Johnson Retail Strategists.
Many retailers, small and large alike, are clearly worried, offering specials and other incentives to kick off holiday shopping earlier.
But even with Black Friday coming on Nov. 29, Outcalt says they shouldn’t be concerned because the vast majority of holiday spending actually happens after Dec. 10.
“The days before the 10th of December are just not busy times. It drives retailers crazy. So to lose some days between Thanksgiving and Christmas becomes irrelevant,” Outcalt says.
Holiday spending is actually driven far more by the state of the economy than the number of shopping days. And Outcalt says with the Seattle-area doing far better than the national average, local retailers should see strong sales this season.
“Economically, we have low unemployment and we have high paying jobs, so that should bode well for shopping.”
While shoppers have come to expect plenty of deals on Black Friday and prices increasing as Christmas approaches, Outcalt says there is another reason for people seeking something specific to shop earlier: selection.
Retailers have become much more sophisticated with their inventory control, especially as profit margins have continued to shrink.
“Whereas many retailers had excess inventory after Christmas and had huge discounts, that’s becoming a thing of the past. And many retailers are taking those discounts, smartly, before Christmas, so they don’t end up after Christmas with excess inventory. So shop early.”
