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Christmas shoppers are starting early and looking for wide range of gifts

About 66% of U.S. residents who shop for Christmas and other holiday gifts will be doing so from Thanksgiving Day through the Monday after Thanksgiving this year, according to the National Retail Federation.

In addition, about 61% of those surveyed by the retail trade association from Nov. 1-10 said they already had started their holiday shopping.

Overall, consumers are expected to spend an average of $997.73 on holiday gifts.

At the Lowe's home-improvement store in Indian Harbour Beach, Beth Joe Green and Douglas Park look for timers for their holiday lights.
At the Lowe's home-improvement store in Indian Harbour Beach, Beth Joe Green and Douglas Park look for timers for their holiday lights.

The survey found that:

  • 66% of holiday shoppers surveyed in early November plan to shop Thanksgiving weekend this year. That amounts to an estimated 158.3 million people, up from 156.6 million last year, but still below the 165.3 million in pre-pandemic 2019.

  • 30.6 million plan to shop either in-store or online on Thanksgiving Day; 108 million on Black Friday; 58.1 million on what's known as Small Business Saturday; 31.2 million on Sunday; and 62.8 million on what's known as Cyber Monday. The total of the daily numbers exceeds the overall figure because some consumers will shop multiple days.

  • Top reasons cited for shopping this weekend included deals that are “too good to pass up” (58%) and tradition (28%).

  • Among those shopping on Thanksgiving Day, 65% are likely to do so in stores, up from 50% last year, when worries about COVID-19 were keeping many people at home, so they shopped online.

  • On Black Friday, 64% are likely to shop in stores, up from 51% last year.

More: Traditional shopping malls face challenges in changing retail landscape, as online sales rise

More: Costco grand opening in Viera postponed until December; memberships available

With pandemic-related and other supply shortages, "people are scarfing up whatever they can get," said Mike Slotkin, a professor of economics at Florida Institute of Technology's Bisk College of Business.

Starting earlier than before

The NRF survey found that 61% of those surveyed already had begun their holiday shopping, compared with 59% last year and 51% in 2011.

The survey found 46% started earlier this year than they typically do. Consumers on average had completed 28% of their holiday shopping by early November this year (up from an average of 18% complete by that time in 2011).

“Shopping early is a trend we’ve seen for years, and it began long before the pandemic,” said Phil Rist, executive vice president of strategy for Prosper Insights & Analytics, which does retail surveys for the National Retail Federation. “While some consumers like the thrill of last-minute shopping and others just procrastinate, many prefer the comfort of having the shopping done early, so they can relax and enjoy the season.”

NRF President and Chief Executive Officer Matthew Shay added that "consumers are starting earlier than ever to be sure they can get what they want, when they want it, at a price they want to pay."

What they're buying

The NRF survey also asked consumers what they plan to buy.

The top items included:

  • Clothing, expected to be given by 53% of shoppers.

  • Gift cards (46%).

  • Toys (39%).

  • Books/music/movies/video games (35%).

  • Food/candy (31%).

Gift card buyers plan to spend a total $28.1 billion on the cards, the highest since $29.9 billion in 2018.

Shoppers plan to buy an average three or four gift cards this year with an average $48.92 per card, including restaurant cards (cited by 32%), department store cards (26%), bank-issued gift cards (26%) and coffee shop cards (20%).

Barbie dolls are expected to remain a popular gift item this Christmas season.
Barbie dolls are expected to remain a popular gift item this Christmas season.

Among the popular gifts being bought for boys are Lego items; cars and trucks; PlayStation, Xbox and other items related to video games; Nerf items; and Paw Patrol items.

For girls, the top gift items include Barbie, LOL, American Girl and other dolls; Lego items; Apple products/smartphones; apparel/accessories; and beauty products.

2021 retail sales so far

For the first 10 months of 2021, retail sales are up 14.1%, compared with 2020, according to National Retail Federation data. Among the largest increases:

  • Up 22.7% at clothing and clothing accessory stores.

  • Up 17.4% at electronics and appliance stores.

  • Up 16.5% at sporting goods stores.

  • Up 15.7% at general merchandise stores.

  • Up 9.6% at furniture and home furnishings stores.

In comparison, online and other "non-store sales" rose 7.4%.

Outlook for November and December

The National Retail Federation estimates that retail spending in November and December 2021 will be up between 8.5% and 10.5% from November and December 2020.

In comparison, the November and December sales volume rose by 8.2% in 2020, compared with 2019. But, in the previous years of the past decade, the year-to-year gains were much smaller, ranging from 1.8% to 5.2%.

Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @bydaveberman.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Christmas shoppers are starting early and continuing this weekend

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