Will the election mess up Christmas shopping?

Editor’s note: This is an editorial piece. An editorial, like a news article, is based on fact but also shares opinions. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and are not associated with our newsroom.

SALT LAKE CITY — It’s election season. We’re in the heat of the campaign and, for you, it’s an opportunity to shop for Christmas.

With the race for president just about dead even, who knows what’s gonna happen on Nov. 5? And for that matter, in the days and weeks afterward?

Some people worry about a contested election. Alarmists anticipate civil war. While that might seem a little bit out there, I have a question.

How do you open a movie the weekend of the election? The political ads blanketing the airwaves make it too expensive to buy commercials advertising your new movie. Nonetheless, Tom Hanks has one coming out that weekend. His co-star is Robin Wright. All I can say is good luck with opening weekend. But for the most part, studios are pushing their major releases toward Christmas. 

Meantime, retailers are figuring that we’ll be too consumed with the race for the White House to get the Christmas shopping done. So the sales will begin later this month and stretch through October, hoping to get consumers to consume ahead of the all-encompassing chaos. Which might, or more likely won’t, happen. 

But a bellwether for retail sales, Amazon, will hold its big Prime Day Christmas sale before the election. They know what they’re doing. As the fate of the nation hangs in the balance, that’s your opportunity to save like never before.

Or go to the movies. But be advised. Election night this year could leave us with a popcorn shortage. Let’s just hope that that’s our biggest problem.

Jeff Caplan is the host of Jeff Caplan’s Afternoon News on KSL NewsRadio. Follow him on Facebook and X. 

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