You’re 25 Days Late Already
Call it another victory for moral values. Or maybe just a camouflaged grab for your holiday dollars. While other stores pulled out the tinsel the moment their Halloween ghouls were reburied in the stockroom, Nordstrom, hewing to a century-old tradition, kept its Christmas decorations out of sight until today -- and let us know about it.
In a full-page ad in the New York Times, and signs posted in its store windows across the country, Nordstrom suggests that we relax: “There’s plenty of time to decorate after Thanksgiving.” Good for Nordstrom, even if its gesture is a marketing ploy. It’s hard to get in the holiday mood when the run-up goes on for months in advance.
But though you still have time to haul the Christmas tchotchkes out, you’re late to the party if you plan to bring out your shopping list for the first time today. Thanks to an ever-earlier start, the holiday shopping season is already half over. It begins sooner every year, as stores try to build a “Christmas cushion” to shield themselves from the occasional December slump. Nov. 1 has become the putative start of the shopping season, and one-third of shoppers start even earlier.
If you’re among the 10% of laggards waiting to begin your shopping today, there’s good news and bad. The good news is there are no must-have items for stores to run short of. No Tickle Me Elmo or furry Ugg boots to prompt frantic mall runs or keep you logged onto EBay until Christmas Eve. The bad news is wary retailers have leaner inventories this year, so you might want to snag hot prospects early on.
Forecasters are predicting the best holiday shopping season in four years, which isn’t saying much. The years since 9/11 have been bleak. But retailers are concerned this year about a “lack of passion” among consumers. It’s no wonder, considering the “What’s Hot This Season” list put out by the International Council of Shopping Centers. Expect the trade group’s member stores to be loaded with scented candles, “The Da Vinci Code,” home accessories “that create a Zen-like atmosphere” and tons of pink.
Prognosticators rely on such disparate factors as weather reports and gas prices to figure out which way the season will tilt. An early cold snap is good because it spurs the purchase of seasonal items, like sweaters and sleds. But only if it’s not too cold. A surge in heating bills cuts into disposable income and tends to chill shoppers’ resolve. Wal-Mart execs expect gas price hikes to trim about $7 a week from their average shopper’s budget. Even high-end shoppers may be less inclined to scurry from store to store, wasting fuel as they search for the perfect item. Can you say, “Gift cards for everyone”?
