We're still two weeks away from Black Friday, the unofficial kick-off to the Christmas shopping season, but if you haven't made it to the mall yet, you may already be falling behind.
We say every year that it seems like the Christmas season starts earlier every year. But this year, it really did. Stores started offering discounts earlier than usual and people starting shopping early, because this year, they expect to find bargains.
The Christmas trimmings starting showing up in the stores before Halloween. That in itself isn't so unusual, but this year, the Christmas shoppers were close behind. "We have definitely noticed that it's been a much earlier start than last year. We've got tons of people coming in daily and every weekend," said Laura Dick, a manager at Palmetto Moon.
The National Retail Federation expects holiday sales to be up nearly 2.5% this year, after flat sales last year. Retailers say, people are ready to shop again after a couple of years of holding back. "They're going to spend money, they're going to buy gifts and make up for lost time, I already see it," said Tommy Vaught, a manager at Reeds Jewelers.
But the economy is still struggling and shoppers are still cost-conscious, which could be why stores are offering discounts that, in other years, might wait until after Thanksgiving. "As you can see we have price cuts on our Christmas trees already, so very early in the season for that to be going on, so we do have some great deals out there," said Shelley Warner, a Target store team leader.
Retailers say shoppers also seem to be more organized than in the past, knowing just what they want when they walk in. Tommy Vaught said, "65% of people that come into a store now have already looked at your product on the internet."
Rebecca Moore and her friends always start Christmas shopping in mid-November and they're well aware of why the stores like early shoppers. "With the economy the way it is, seems like they're after that dollar as soon as they can get it."
If holiday sales live up to forecasts, this would be the best holiday for retailers in four years. And Fed-Ex is expecting an increase in shipping volume of 11 percent compared to 2009.
The National Retail Federation predicts internet sales will be up 15 to 20 percent this year.
