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SouthPointe employees decorate a tree to welcome the shoppers that retailers hope will come this holiday season. Photo: Sarah Tenorio, NewsNetNebraska
And they're not only starting their shopping earlier, they are buying more necessities, according to a recent article in Advertising Age.
Accenture, a global management consulting company, was quoted in the article as saying that 63 percent of shoppers plan to set a budget this year, up from 54 percent who said they did last year.
Lincoln resident Anna Phillips does most of her shopping at SouthPointe Pavilions Shopping Center in South Lincoln. Phillips, who has almost finished with her shopping list, said she doesn't like to worry about how much she spends at the holidays.
"I'm not really into setting a budget," she said. "I've already spent a lot this year."
But Beth Sharper-Sutton, also of Lincoln, said she looks for bargains when she shops.
"I have four kids," she said. "I love to find a good deal."
Sharper-Sutton said she's a late holiday shopper. Though she was at the mall this week, she was not doing any holiday shopping. For that, she waits until December, unlike the majority of holiday shoppers.
Advertising Age predicted that only about 17 percent of women will start shopping in December compared to about 28 percent of men.
While the percentage of men who usually do last-minute shopping is almost twice as large as the percentage of women, more men say they won't wait so long this season, Advertising Age reported: Almost 40 percent said they will start in November.
Chad Becwar, store manager at JC Penney at Gateway Mall, said men are normally last-minute shoppers, but he's noticed a different trend this year.
"I see men shopping earlier," he said. "I can tell by the traffic in this store."
Early shoppers have the right idea. Retailers like Becwar are encouraging consumers to shop early if they want to get the best merchandise.
"Because of the economy, a lot of retailers haven't bought as much product this year, so the early birds really will be getting the best products."
The busiest shopping time runs from the week of Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve, Becwar said. On Black Friday-the day after Thanksgiving-the store usually makes 70 percent of its sales goal between 4 a.m. and 1 p.m. Advertising Age article quoted the National Retail Federation as saying that about 32 percent of consumers plan to finish shopping during Thanksgiving week.
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