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BUSINESS Tuesday 6 OcTOber 2020
Pandemic pushes start of holiday shopping earlier than ever

By JOSEPH PISANI and But Vuillaume expects
ANNE D'INNOCENZIO much of her holiday shop-
AP Retail Writers ping to be at Target, order-
NEW YORK (AP) — Add last- ing online and picking up
minute holiday shopping at the store. She wants to
to the list of time-honored spend as little time inside as
traditions being upended possible. Before COVID-19,
by the coronavirus pan- she would grab a drink
demic. Retailers are kick- at Starbucks and wander
ing off the holiday season around the aisles of Target.
earlier than ever this year "That was kind of my down-
in hopes of avoiding big in- time," she said. "Now I can't
store crowds and shipping really do that."
bottlenecks in November Stores like Best Buy and
and December. Kohl's know that many
Stores like Best Buy, Macy's, shoppers like Vuillaume
and Target typically offer want to avoid being inside
their biggest Black Friday for long and are expanding
deals over Thanksgiving services that allow them to
weekend, but now they're buy items online and pick
starting them in October so them up at the store. Some
people don't crowd their small businesses are join-
stores later, creating a po- ing in. E-commerce plat-
tentially dangerous situa- form Shopify, for example,
tion during a pandemic. started offering a way for
And with more people ex- its merchants with physi-
pected to shop online, re- cal shops to add curbside
tailers are trying to avoid pickup.
a rush of orders closer to Retailers are also making
Christmas, which could plans for people who don't
lead to late packages and want to go to a store at all.
more expensive shipping. Expecting to sell more of its
Many had a hard time rings and diamond brace-
keeping up with the surge Holiday knick-knacks stand are displayed for Christmas shoppers Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, at a Lowes lets online, Signet Jewelers,
in buying when shoppers store in Northglenn, Colo. the owner of the Zales and
were locked down in their Associated Press Kay Jewelers chains, made
homes during the early tweaks at its Ohio ware-
days of the pandemic. holiday sales. Shoppers will to the holidays. It's usually in of early shopping. Kohl's house so it can ship five
Even Amazon, which has likely buy fewer gifts be- July, but was postponed said shoppers have start- times as many packages
spent 25 years building cause they won't be trav- this year. ed searching for stocking as last year.
warehouses and a delivery eling to big family holiday That will put pressure on stuffers and matching fam- Meanwhile, delivery com-
network, had to hire an ad- gatherings. And they'll be stores to offer deals around ily pajamas on its website. pany DHL is advising retail-
ditional 175,000 workers to focused on gifts related to the same time, too. Target Retailers will try their hardest ers to avoid holding big
meet demand. activities around the home, and Walmart have already to woo procrastinators. In sales in December, since
Black Friday has long been from workout wear to home said they will hold their own October, TV and online ads delivery could be delayed,
the unofficial start to the goods and gaming con- sales during the same time paid for by trade group Na- said Kraig Foreman, the
U.S. holiday season, though soles. One bright spot: Peo- as Amazon's. Best Buy will tional Retail Federation will company's president of e-
retailers have been push- ple are spending less on offer deals in October, ear- push people to buy early. commerce in North Amer-
ing holiday shopping earlier experiences like travel and lier than it ever has. MadaLuxe, which has three ica, who works with nearly
for the last decade or so. eating out, which have si- Even with the early start to stores and distributes luxury 30 retail chains.
This year there's more ur- phoned away holiday sales the season, holiday sales goods to discount chains, Some are already seeing
gency. With the coronavi- over the past few years. are expected to deliver is bringing in holiday items shipping delays.
rus still spreading in the U.S., "Shoppers are going to be smaller gains than in recent like blankets, pillows and Balsam Hill, which sells
stores have had to rethink very selective in what they years. But no one really picture frames in mid-Oc- high-end artificial Christ-
their usual holiday plans. buy,''' said Ken Perkins, knows what's going to hap- tober, a month earlier than mas trees online, is warning
Thanksgiving Day door- president of Retail Metrics, pen. usual. shoppers on its website that
busters are canceled. There a retail research firm. "Re- Joel Bines, who runs the re- "I don't think our customers shipping could take twice
will still be in-store sales the tailers, particularly depart- tail practice at AlixPartners, are looking at holiday, but as long than the typical
day after Thanksgiving, but ment stores and specialty thinks the earlier shopping we want them to," said Ma- three to four days.
companies are expected clothing chains, need to will stick even when the daLuxe CEO and president People seem to be in the
to try to steer many shop- get it right in terms of in- pandemic is over. He likens Adam Freede. holiday spirit already. Mac
pers to their websites to ventory and customer traf- it to when most major stores Sasha Vuillaume has al- Harman, CEO of parent
avoid crowds and chaos. fic. They're fighting for their started opening on Thanks- ready bought Disney Prin- company Balsam Brands,
"We're preparing for a lives." giving Day after one or two cess figurines for her 5-year- said sales rose in July and
holiday season unlike any The first big holiday push will stores did it for the first time old daughter as a Christ- continue to be so high that
we've seen before," said come from Amazon, which a decade ago as a way to mas gift. And if Amazon has he's worried the company
Target CEO Brian Cornell. is positioning its mid-Octo- jumpstart Black Friday sales. a Prime Day deal on the could run out of faux trees
With many people out of ber Prime Day as a kickoff "This is here to stay," Bines Barbie camper her daugh- by Black Friday.
work and even more uncer- to the holiday shopping said. "The new holiday sea- ter wants, the veterinary re- "I don't want to let custom-
tain about their economic season. son is October through Jan- ceptionist from Lakewood, ers down in a year where
futures, this isn't expected This is the first time Amazon uary." Ohio, will probably buy it we need more joy than
to be a banner year for has held Prime Day so close There are already signs then. ever," he said.q