The holiday season is often a lucrative time for retailers who see a significant increase from November to January sales.
However, that trend has turned upside down in recent years with covid-19, pandemic restrictions and the economic turmoil that has followed. Throughout 2022 Americans have been battling persistent inflation, which has driven wages down and prices up.
A report from the US Census Bureau found that retail sales were down in Novemberdown 0.6% compared to October.
What does this mean for the festive shopping rush? Back in September retail analysts Sensormatic Solutions predicted the busiest shopping days for 2022, and they were as follows:
Friday, November 25 – Black Friday
Friday, December 23 – Friday before Christmas
Monday, December 26 – Boxing Day
Saturday, December 17 – Super Saturday
Saturday, November 26 – Saturday after Black Friday
Saturday, December 10 – Second Saturday in December
Thursday, December 22 – Thursday before Christmas
Saturday, December 3 – First Saturday in December
Sunday, December 18 – The Sunday before Christmas
Wednesday, December 21 – the Wednesday before Christmas
“We are looking forward to a busy holiday season at home and abroad,” said Sensormatic president Kevin Viravec. “Keeping up with demand, efficient staffing, and having a holistic view of operations will be critical to delivering a satisfying customer experience as well as high purchase rates.”
Will the shops be busy at Christmas?
The Sensormatic report says those ten days will account for 40% of your total holiday retail traffic. Consumers may decide to make fewer shopping trips this year due to inflationary pressures, meaning those busy days could be even more prominent.
This means that anyone looking to get away from the crowds should avoid the peak days listed above. However, there is also an element of randomness that makes it difficult to predict.
Brian Field, global leader of retail and analytics consultancy at Sensormatic, explains: “Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, so the last Saturday before Christmas is technically Christmas Eve, which makes the landscape somewhat out of the ordinary.”
“As most shops close early on the 24th and potential shoppers begin their holiday celebrations, the 17th is likely to be the busiest Saturday in December.”