Retailers expect late-season rush

Late start brings out shoppers in last days before Christmas

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/MELISSA SUE GERRITS 12/19/13 - Ellie Fuller, 12, right, looks at an iPhone she hopes to get for Christmas as another shopper kneels to scouer shelves for iPhone cases December 19, 2013 at Best Buy off Chenal Parkway.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/MELISSA SUE GERRITS 12/19/13 - Ellie Fuller, 12, right, looks at an iPhone she hopes to get for Christmas as another shopper kneels to scouer shelves for iPhone cases December 19, 2013 at Best Buy off Chenal Parkway.

Chronic procrastinators likely will have some company in stores during the final days before Christmas.

With a shorter-than-usual holiday shopping season, even shoppers who generally plan ahead are finding themselves up against deadline pressure. Thanksgiving fell later than usual - this year’s stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas is six days shorter than it was in 2012 - and because of snow and ice in early December, retailers are planning for significant activity this weekend.

A survey published by the National Retail Federation shows nearly 50 percent of shoppers still have gifts left to buy. While the weekend before Christmas traditionally ranks high on the list of prime shopping days, crowds are expected to be even larger than usual in Arkansas and across the nation this year.

“The sense of urgency is definitely elevated,” said Lee Fannon, general manager for the Best Buy on Chenal Parkway. “There is just a smaller shopping window than usual for a lot of people.”

Online shopping has become an increasingly popular option for shoppers, who spent $579.5 billion overall last year during the holiday season, but because shipping days are limited this month,many consumers will wind up in stores this weekend.

Christmas falls midweek this year, meaning there are only four weekends to shop after Thanksgiving.

According to ShopperTrak data cited by Wal-Mart, today will be the second-biggest shopping day after Black Friday.

In an effort to ease the burden on shoppers and workers, retailers large and small are finding ways to accommodate what figures to be a significant rush.

Best Buy, for example, plans to extend its operating hours from 7 a.m. until midnight today through Monday and is offering in-store pickup for online purchases.

Retailers also attempted to ease the burden on shoppers by advertising Christmas specials earlier than usual.

Some, like Riffraff, a boutique on the Fayetteville Square, began offering what were labeled as Christmas sales well in advance of Black Friday. Typically, Black Friday signals the start of the holiday shopping season.

A late Thanksgiving is something retailers could plan for, and many did.

In fact, that was one of the driving forces behind Christmas sales starting before families had a chance to gather for turkey and dressing.

However, local retailers and shoppers fell behind the first weekend of this month. Ice and snow forced some businesses to open late and close early.

In extreme cases, stores went multiple days without opening.

Kirsten Blowers, who opened Riffraff five years ago, said the store was banking on the first weekend of the month to account for 25 percent of December sales.

Having to close for several days created some challenges, especially with much of the store’s customer base still in college.

“What we were banking on, the profit coming in that weekend, wasn’t there,” Blowers said. “Then it took a while for things to pick back up. We expect this weekend to be very, very busy.”

Retailers plan to use additional staff this weekend to accommodate shoppers who are feeling the pressure to complete their holiday purchases. More than 720,000 seasonal staff will be added by retailers, according to the National Retail Federation.

Bass Pro Shops, the outdoor recreation retailer, opened off Interstate 30 in Little Rock last month with a staff of 250 to accommodate the interest generated from its grand opening.

A staff that size should come in handy this weekend, General Manager Will Anderson said.

“The shopping season has been a little compressed,” Anderson said.

“There do seem to be folks a little more anxious than usual to complete their shopping. You have a late Thanksgiving, winter weather and Christmas falling midweek, and you’ve got what figures to be a busy final weekend.”

Business, Pages 27 on 12/21/2013

Upcoming Events