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Christmas is 100 days away and yet retail stores are already stocking their shelves with decorations and other holiday-themed merchandise.
While people generally prefer to start their Christmas shopping early in order to spread out their budget, there are a few major factors forcing retailers to step on the gas this year, according to Katherine Cullen, vice president of industry and consumer insights at the National Retail Federation (NRF).
Not only is Thanksgiving later this year, creating a shorter shopping window between the two holidays, but retailers are anticipating that the upcoming presidential election may disrupt traditional holiday shopping patterns, Cullen said.
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A lot of consumers might start browsing in October, but Cullen said that the “bulk of buying really still happens in November.”
A shopper carries bags at the Polaris Fashion Place mall on Black Friday in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 24, 2023. (Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
In particular, people generally hit the stores in the first few weeks of November leading into Thanksgiving.
“But the national attention is not going to necessarily really be on the holidays during that time,” she added.
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Adding to retailers’ woes, the election is also making ads and marketing campaigns more expensive because they are competing with political campaigns, Cullen said. It’s another reason holiday campaigns have begun even earlier.
Retailers are anticipating that the upcoming presidential election may disrupt traditional holiday shopping patterns. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
“They’re looking to spread some of that out, both for their own cost as well as the understanding that… people are not going to necessarily be looking to knock those pants off their shopping gift lists” around the election, Cullen said.
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She noted that people are going to be thinking about other things, and “then most likely will be looking to immerse themselves in some holiday joy, either as a distraction or as a celebration.”