Holiday Shopping At Record Highs Since Start Of Pandemic
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — With the countdown to Christmas, many shoppers are rushing to get in their last buys before the holidays.
Compared to last year, when many shoppers hit up online stores rather than doing their holiday shopping in person.
However, what will the impact be this year on shoppers with the shipping delays and safety protocols?
"The mall is jam-packed. It's pretty claustrophobic here," said one of the shoppers. "Parking wasn't the most fun, but we found a parking spot way across [the parking lot]."
This is just what retail analysis expected, predicting holiday sales to break records.
"It's a madhouse," said another shopper. "Someone in line told me that it will take an hour just to get out of the parking lot."
The National Retail Federation said that spending in November and December could grow as much as 11.5 percent compared to the same time last year.
But even this year, many shoppers began shopping early, with concerns of product availability, shipping delays, truck driver shortages, and not to mention the new Omicron variant.
A silver lining to an unpredictable shopping season may have businesses getting more business than they expected.
"Personally, I probably bought more things than I would have," said one shopper.
Analysts predict shopping this holiday season will hit an all-time high—up to 859 Billion dollars. In fact, shoppers in a survey said they plan to spend at least $1000 each this year.