Quincy (WGEM) – Time is running out for last-minute holiday shopping.
Super Saturday is many people’s last chance for big shopping before Christmas. The National Retail Federation predicts that 158 million shoppers will participate in Super Saturday this year, a record 10 million more than last year.
Ph.D., Professor of Economics, Quincy University. Cynthia Haliemun said Black Friday sales numbers missed many retailers’ expectations due to high inflation earlier in the holiday shopping season. She said that meant they had a lot of riding on Super Saturday.
“They have a lot of unsold inventory, so in order to reduce inventory, they have to offer marketing tools such as more discounts or extended store hours to attract more people,” Haliemun said.
Larger stores will be able to absorb the cost if expectations are not met, but small businesses may be affected, Harimon said.
Dwight Shuck, a resident of Hunnewell, Missouri, said he and his wife were out at JCPenny in Hannibal on Thursday and said he had done his shopping early and was just looking around.
“We usually draw names for our family and we give gifts,” he said. “My daughter usually does the shopping for me and my wife.”
Other shoppers said they were adding gifts to gifts they already bought because sales were a great way to save money.
People plan to do more brick-and-mortar shopping on Super Saturday, Harimon said. If they were ordering online, she said they were concerned their orders wouldn’t arrive in time for Christmas.
The National Retail Federation predicts that 42.2 million people will shop in person, 72.2 million of whom will shop in-store and online.
Copyright 2022 WGEM. all rights reserved.