People throughout the U.S. love shopping for gifts. Usually, consumers start their shopping in November which isn’t a bad idea. But sometimes in late October, shoppers can get some early holiday deals at retailers like Home Depot, Lowes, At Home, and Costco to help them avoid the rush from crowds, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. Be careful if you wait too long to shop in December, there is usually limited stock on decorations, candy, trees, lights, gifts, food, etc. 

In a 2022 poll, according to the marketing firm Tinuiti, 60% of U.S. holiday shoppers plan on spending more than $250, with 10% planning to spend more than $1,000. Only 15% of consumers plan to wait until December to begin holiday shopping. In the 2023 poll, according to Gallup, they said that inflation has made a big impact on some consumers which didn’t decrease the number of consumers a lot, but a few shoppers dropped out in the “Christmas Hunt”. 

Gallup also states that there is “little change from last year in Americans’ characterization of whether they will spend more, less or ‘about the same’ money on gifts as they did the year prior. Following the normal pattern, the largest share of consumers, 58%, say they will spend about the same, with a higher percentage saying they will spend less (23%) rather than more (18%)”.

How do you plan to tackle your holiday shopping list? Will you shop in late October or early November, or wait to shop until December? Let us know in the comments and happy shopping!