How Was Your Holiday?
If you read the headlines this year, you might think the housing Grinch stole Christmas this year. Did he?
Black Friday sales came out stronger than expected and November retail sales far exceeded expectations, yet today’s business stories pointed out weakness in the retail sector this holiday.
I enjoyed the holidays this year and for the sake of market research and helping out an old friend I joined the ranks of retail workers, part-time, for the first time in over a decade.
What did I see this year? Business as usual for the most part. Shoppers were looking for deals, but when supply ran low, they bought what was available. The spirit of Christmas trumps the economy I suppose. People of limited means waited till the last minute, but shopped nonetheless.
Maybe it was different here in Utah because we haven’t seen the sharp downturns other markets have. The national retailer I worked for didn’t have any fire sales and when I went shopping I didn’t see huge discounts. Was it different for you?
Please leave a comment with your observations of this holiday shopping season. I wish you and yours the best for the coming year.