Another Early Holiday Sales Season

If it seems like Christmas is coming earlier this year, at least in the minds of retailers, you are right. Halloween is now over, and Thanksgiving is still a month away but you’re already seeing decorations and merchandise for Christmas across Michigan, which signal the start of another holiday shopping season. However, Tom Scott of the Michigan Retailers Association says don’t blame the merchants for starting earlier each year, but consumers that drive the early openings. A survey of Michigan Retailers in September found 63% of retailers expect better holiday sales than a year ago, with nearly a third of them projecting holiday sales increasing more than 5% from a year ago. Scott cites lower gas prices and a lower state unemployment rate for the slight improvement. Nationally, retail economists project a 4% increase in Holiday spending this year.