Procrastinators may wish they had the gift of extra time to pick out the perfect gift-or any gift-for their loved ones, and will hit the stores on what retailers expect to be the biggest shopping weekend of the year.
Flipping through a wine book at Barnes & Noble at the Power Plant during lunchtime Friday, Bel Air resident Chris Vacek said he still had some shopping to do for his family.
“It?s tough,” he said. “You work all day and when you get done, the last thing you want to do is fight through the crowds.”
Still, he said Christmas is important to his family, especially teaching the meaning of the holiday to his kids and finding the perfect gift for his wife.
Retailers are out of time as well and are counting on big sales this weekend to salvage a slower-than-expected season, said Tom Saquella, president of the Maryland Retailers Association.
Saquella said the association had projected just a 2 percent increase in sales this year, its lowest projected increase in several years. But stores may not even see that modest level of growth thanks to a decrease in spending Saquella attributed to the volatile housing market.
“I would think it?s going to take a very strong finishing kick here to make even the 2 percent,” he said. “I?ve talked to a lot of members over the last two weeks and they?ve all said they?re down in sales.”
That big boost may come from a large number of shoppers who waited until the last weekend to buy their Christmas presents. A survey released Wednesday by the National Retail Federation estimated that more than 35 million shoppers, or 16.5 percent of those surveyed, hadn?t even started their shopping. The survey found one in five men, 19.4 percent of those surveyed, hadn?t picked out any gifts yet.
“Though the holiday season will be a challenge for retailers and shoppers are paying attention to prices, people are still buying Christmas presents,” National Retail Federation President Tracy Mullin said in a statement.
A Consumer Reports survey also released Wednesday said one-third of Americans had not started their Christmas shopping as of this week, and projected that 24 percent of shoppers would not finish until Dec. 23 or later. The survey found 10 percent would finish on Christmas Eve, and five percent wouldn?t finish until after Dec. 25.
