INDIANAPOLIS — It may still feel like summer with temperatures in the 80s, but the countdown to Christmas is already on — just over 80 days away. And some shoppers are wasting no time getting started.
“I’m a planner so I try to do things way ahead of time,” said Chisom, who starts holiday shopping early to save money and avoid delays.
Others, like Sam, wait until closer to the deadline. “I’m a buy-all-at-once, and it’s pretty close to the deadline,” he said.
Still, many Americans are shopping sooner rather than later. According to Bankrate, about half of shoppers have already started — or will start — in October. That trend began five years ago.
“I’m actually a fan of the trend. I know it seems early, it's still warm out, we're not ready to admit that summer's over although the holidays are around the corner. It gives you an opportunity to spread out your cash flow,” said Ted Rossman, a senior analyst at Bankrate.
Rossman says big sales events like Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, Target Circle Week and Walmart’s holiday kickoff mean Black Friday deals now arrive in October.
Holiday sales are expected to grow this year, but moderately — about 3 to 3.5 percent, Rossman said. John Talbott, a professor at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, doesn’t expect that growth to exceed 4 percent because of inflation, tariffs and rising costs of living.
“I don’t see it exceeding that because there’s so much consumer uncertainty,” Talbott said.
To ease the burden, Rossman recommends setting aside money now, creating a budget and making a gift list. He also suggests stacking discounts, such as combining reward credit cards with online shopping portals.
