Shortened holiday shopping window puts pressure on retailers and consumers

(WJAR) — It feels like we just cleaned up Thanksgiving dinner – and now, we’ve only got two and a half weeks left to shop for Christmas!

So, are retailers panicking?

“Retailers have been preparing for this well in advance, and so what they did is they started all of these sales the week leading up into Thanksgiving, and actually Black Friday sales started late on Thursday and the majority of the Black Friday sales were actually online,” explained Rae Caloura, marketing professor at Providence College.

With this condensed shopping window, Caloura said retailers are expecting more online shopping this year – not just because of the convenience – but also because it also allows consumers to price shop more effectively.

However, shopping will shift to in person as we creep closer to that final shopping weekend.

“We tend to see, historically, that that last weekend before the Christmas holiday sees a surge in in-person shopping as those last minute shoppers are doing one of two things – they’re either desperate and are looking for absolutely any gift, or they’re really savvy shoppers looking for the best discounts,” said Caloura.

That’s a good point to make, because we’re still going to see some of the best deals of the season over the next two and a half weeks. Caloura said anywhere from 30% to 50% off.

She said expect the best discounts on toys, electronics, apparel, and sporting goods.