DAYTON — With 100 days remaining until Christmas, many shoppers are already looking for ways to stretch their budgets as holiday merchandise begins arriving on store shelves.
According to a new survey from the online deals site RetailMeNot, 26% of shoppers have already started their holiday shopping.
More than half of consumers are expected to begin by the end of next month, with nearly half planning to shop earlier this year than they did last year.
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Stephanie Carls, a retail insights expert at RetailMeNot, noted that consumer shopping patterns reflect early activity. “100 days sounds early, but from what we are seeing, the receipts say otherwise,” Carls said.
She explained that consumers are paying close attention to cost before making purchases. “We see that people are watching their prices. They are comparing offers. They’re getting more comfortable buying when that price actually makes sense,” Carls said.
Carls noted that the push to start shopping early is focused on tracking sales rather than finishing early. “The holiday calendar got longer, but the shopper, I think, got harder to impress,” Carls said.
By starting early, consumers give themselves additional flexibility to compare prices across stores. “They’re giving themselves more time to watch those prices and decide when something is worth buying,” Carls said.
In response to early shopper activity, Amazon and Target have announced new October deal days this week, with additional retailers expected to participate.
Carls said these sales events give shoppers opportunities to evaluate prices in advance. “You have all of these different opportunities to start thinking through the different things that you want and then understanding the price that you are also willing to pay,” Carls said.
To maximize savings, retail experts suggest starting a list now and tracking prices as items hit store shelves. Spreading out holiday spending across several weeks helps prevent a large financial burden at the end of the year.
“This is one of the best times when not only will you be able to save money, but you can just stretch that budget further and further,” Carls said.
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