PriceGrabber’s fourth winter holiday shopping survey
finds that 41% of U.S. consumers say they plan to hit the
stores between December 21 and 24.
As reported by Chain Store Age, the survey found “43%
percent of those shoppers said that they believe the best
discounts can be found during this time period. Another 43%
indicated that they are busy and unable to finish their
shopping earlier, 26% admitted to procrastinating, 22%
believe it is fun to do last-minute shopping, and
10% are waiting for a year-end work bonus to
begin shopping.”
This is great news for retailers who were
concerned that most shopping had already been
completed over the very busy Black Friday
weekend.
And it’s not just stocking stuffers that are left
to buy. In the survey, 53% said they intended to
purchase both big and small items. 31% will purchase just
small items, 6% just large gifts and 10% will do all their
shopping during the period.
Nine percent said they would delay part of their shopping
until after Christmas to take advantage of sales.
At least one department store chain is taking advantage
of the last minute push. As it has for the last five years,
Macy’s will keep 14 of its stores open continuously between
7AM on December 21 and December 24, 6PM. Another 27
locations will be open until 2AM on December 21-23.
“Our 24-hour stores have been a hit with holiday
shoppers for the past five years,” said Ron Klein, chief
stores officer, Macy’s. “Our customers have told us when
they want to shop, and after-hours and overnight shopping
comes out a clear winner as the countdown to Christmas
gets closer.”