Over the course of the next few weeks, American shoppers will plow through each other at the department stores, malls and retail outlets. Surely, YouTube will be consumed with numerous videos depicting shoppers as ravenous savages getting into arguments with cashiers over a television.
Indeed, many people in the United States are even tossing the turkey drumstick to the side in favor of whipping out their credit card on Thanksgiving, according to Immortal News.
On the other hand, some consumers are refusing to participate in the hustle and bustle of entering brick-and-mortar stores and instead are clicking through their way to finish their holiday shopping. This may be a wise decision considering the fights that will likely transpire.
A new Gallup poll has discovered the consumer trends in the final few weeks leading into this year’s major gift-giving holiday. The polling firm released the results of its survey and noted that shoppers are not going overboard this year, while many are avoiding the stress of locating the perfect gift and are opting for gift cards and certificates.
The survey found that more than half (54 percent) have spent or plan to spend about the same amount on gifts as they did a year ago. In addition, more than one-quarter (29 percent) plan to spend less, while 18 percent plan to spend more over the Christmas season.
Shoppers don’t seem to be too enthusiastic in finishing up their Christmas shopping as close to half say they usually complete their shopping list in the final three weeks before Christmas. A growing number are also avoiding the stores with nearly one-third (32 percent) reporting doing their shopping online – 46 percent of those respondents plan to shop on their smartphone, tablet and other mobile device.
“A majority of Americans thought that online shopping was better or much better than in-person shopping for a variety of reasons including convenience, ease of shopping, time-savings, selection and availability of merchandise and ability to comparison shop,” Gallup said in a statement. “The only areas in which online shopping was not deemed superior were shipping costs and the ability to determine whether the merchandise was right or not.”
What do American consumers plan to give their friends, family members and colleagues this Christmas? Clothing is the biggest winner with 74 percent citing apparel. Gift cards (65 percent), toys (60 percent), books (51 percent) and electronics (49 percent) rounded out the top five. Travel (13 percent), vehicles (13 percent) and jewelry (19 percent) were at the bottom.
We reported in October that the National Retail Federation (NRF) is projecting a 4.1 percent increase in holiday sales, citing an improvement in consumer confidence as shoppers seek out bigger discounts and greater sales in the final weeks of the Christmas season. In total, holiday sales could very well exceed $616 billion this year.
As more and more retailers attempt to outcompete each other with all of the Gray Thursdays, Black Fridays, Small Business Saturdays and Cyber Mondays, consumers may just simply cave in and enhance their holiday budgets in order to take advantage of some of the sales. However, as we reported earlier this year, the best day to find the cost-saving deals and doorbusters is actually on Thanksgiving.
At the same time, those who refuse to shop on Thanksgiving or Black Friday may just be waiting for the influx of videos of fierce and rabid customers fighting each other for the $10 toasters.
