With a late Thanksgiving, the holiday shopping season is five days shorter than last year, and owners of small retail shops say people have been quick to snap up holiday décor early, along with gifts for others and themselves. Cozy items like sweaters are popular so far. But there’s little sense of the freewheeling spending that occurred during the pandemic.
Overall, The National Retail Federation predicts retail sales in November and December will rise between 2.5% and 3.5% compared with the same period a year ago. Online shopping is expected to grow too. Adobe Digital Insights, a division of software company Adobe, predicts an 8.4% increase online for the full season.
Comfort and ‘whimsy’
Some owners say shopping has been erratic so far this holiday season. Nathan Waldon, who owns Nathan & Co., with two gift shops in Oakland, California, said he had his best Black Friday ever, with sales up 32%. But business slowed dramatically after that. He’s hoping it picks up again soon.
“I still feel like I’m optimistic for the season,” he said. “But it’s definitely going to be one of those roller coaster seasons again.”
He said comforting items are selling: Scarves, hats and gloves, humorous Christmas and Hanukkah cards and bright colors.
“People want that sense of whimsy, that sense of fun,” he said. “A couple of seasons ago everything was sort of muted and earthy, and now everyone is craving happy colors.”
One of her top sellers is a bright pink sweater with the word “Merry” written in big letters that sells for $120. But generally, shoppers are looking to spend less than half of that, he said.
“It could be they could buy the $25 item, but then they’ll add on a little something extra,” he said. “It seems to me that the sweet spot is between 40 and 50 bucks.”
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