Ever wonder when the
best days to go holiday shopping are? What about which retail categories are
going to do well this year? All this and more in our conversations with SBC’s
retail experts. Check back often for more.
Shawn Brown, VP/ Creative Services
What is your opinion on
retailers opening doors on Thanksgiving night?
Just
as it seems every year, the holidays come earlier and earlier in the retail world.
We all saw many stores decked out in holiday fare on some level
around October, and the influx of holiday toy catalogs started showing up at my
home even earlier.
As most of us know, approximately 10 percent of holiday sales happen on Black Friday. Walmart has decided to hedge its bets a bit by opening the official start of the holiday shopping season even sooner. At 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving night, Walmart will open the doors and invite holiday shoppers in with a plethora of savings and "Black Friday" specials. This will give Walmart a 4-hour head start over most of their competition, essentially creating a 28-hour Black Friday shopping day.
For Walmart, a company that is still primarily family-owned, what kind of message does this send? Certainly Walmart didn't become the largest retail store in the world by following the status quo, but what does this say about family values and American traditions? Is the holiday of Thanksgiving now simply the trigger for the biggest retail spending day of the year? Obviously, other retailers will eventually follow Walmart's lead; they will have no choice. While I think this move by Walmart is bold and will most likely give them an edge in the holiday shopping palooza, it's also a sign of things to come. Eventually, Walmart will start serving turkey sandwiches at the door.
As most of us know, approximately 10 percent of holiday sales happen on Black Friday. Walmart has decided to hedge its bets a bit by opening the official start of the holiday shopping season even sooner. At 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving night, Walmart will open the doors and invite holiday shoppers in with a plethora of savings and "Black Friday" specials. This will give Walmart a 4-hour head start over most of their competition, essentially creating a 28-hour Black Friday shopping day.
For Walmart, a company that is still primarily family-owned, what kind of message does this send? Certainly Walmart didn't become the largest retail store in the world by following the status quo, but what does this say about family values and American traditions? Is the holiday of Thanksgiving now simply the trigger for the biggest retail spending day of the year? Obviously, other retailers will eventually follow Walmart's lead; they will have no choice. While I think this move by Walmart is bold and will most likely give them an edge in the holiday shopping palooza, it's also a sign of things to come. Eventually, Walmart will start serving turkey sandwiches at the door.
Pete Fantine, VP/Business Analytics and Account Director
What
do you think of the increasing Holiday Creep? Does it make a difference?
It’s
interesting to see a number of retailers advertising “you don’t have to wait
for Black Friday pricing, you can get it this weekend.” The Home Depot in particular has been
aggressively trying to get a jump on things with these messages running two
weeks prior to Black Friday. It’ll be
interesting to see how it impacts their Black Friday numbers… and how they’ll spin it if
they miss their target.
Matt Wilson, General Manager and Partner
How do
you think Hurricane Sandy will impact holiday shopping?
Dampening
spirits and budget carnage are taking place in the 24 states affected by
Hurricane Sandy, particularly after being pounded days after by a
winter storm. The impact? Potentially taking 5 –
10 million people out of the Christmas season - even if they have money. Funds
will instead be earmarked for home improvement expenses and bills, which must be paid regardless of when insurance reimbursements are received. However, it will be a
bell weather year for the home improvement industry and big box retailers who
specialize in this category.
Family togetherness on Thanksgiving Day is a myth. Not all families like each other enough to hang together a whole day. Some do not have families close by, or at all. And, you don't have to go shop, if you don't want to.
ReplyDeleteWhen we started to stay open on Thanksgiving Day, many years ago, we had a sign up sheet for those that wanted to work. We had more people signing up than was needed.