It’s not even Halloween yet and several Lehigh Valley retailers are already gearing up for the winter holiday rush. The merchandising phenomenon of Christmas inching earlier into fall is called “Christmas creep” in the retail industry. It may have some patrons shaking their fists, but some operations experts say it’s a good move.
The National Retail Federation (NRF), the world’s largest retail trade association, forecasts holiday retail sales during November and December to increase between 3.8% and 4.2% over 2018 for a total of between $727 billion to $730 billion in national sales. Online sales continue to drive competition, the retail federation says.
The retail federation expects online and other non-store sales, which are included in the total prediction, to increase between 11 percent to 14 percent and between $162 billion to $166 billion in national sales, up from $146 billion last year.
We found more than a dozen stocking shelves throughout the first days of October to attract early holiday shoppers. If you are one of the early birds, you can check out our list of 15 retailers with holiday gifts and decorations already on display. Displays range from the minimal, just a couple of lonely shelves, to stores that have fully decked the aisles… Lehigh Valley Live
