COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) — From tech to apparel to home appliances, Americans are gearing up for bargains in what is expected to be the busiest holiday shopping season since the pandemic.
Venkatesh Shankar, director of research at Texas A&M’s Center for Retailing Studies, called this year a “mixed bag” when it comes to Black Friday shopping.
He says the positive is that retail spending for the Black Friday-Cyber Monday period is expected to be higher in terms of dollars spent, but on the downside there will be “spending crunch” due to the inflation and supply chain worries.
To find the best deals, Shankar recommends shoppers look both online and in person.
Last year, Cyber Monday overtook Black Friday as the busiest shopping day last year. Last year’s Cyber Monday saw nearly $11 billion in domestic sales, while nearly $10 billion was spent on Black Friday.
This year, online spending is expected to be higher again, but Shankar says more people are likely to come to stores than during the pandemic. While the weather may affect some Texans’ plans, the upside is that this year retailers are doing things a little differently.
” A good thing [shoppers] have going for them is that they are not limited to these two days Black Friday and Cyber Monday. They can shop the full four-day period and even beyond as more retailers extend deals into the Christmas holiday season,” Shankar said.
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