I’ve noticed that the holiday shopping season appears to be starting early this year, and that may be do to uncertainty over the economy from retailers still, but in this week’s edition of Retail Rap I discuss why an earlier holiday shopping season may not be a bad thing.
Has anyone else noticed that the Christmas holiday “season” starts earlier and earlier each year? This year, Walmart had their Christmas displays out by mid-September and many retailers were touting holiday sales in October! I still remember when Black Friday was the “official” kick-off to the holiday shopping season and it was surprising to see Christmas decorations up in mid-November. I keep wondering what the real-world implications of this calendar shift might mean – if anything – for retailers’ overall holiday and end-of-year sales? And, ultimately what it means for retail real estate in 2012.
Check out the full article from my recurring column, Retail Rap, at Chain Store Age.