Mississippi Retailers are optimistic they’ll see large turnouts as the holiday shopping season gets underway with early Black Friday deals. MPB’s Desare Frazier reports.
Overall shoppers are expected to spend an average of $1,000 this holiday season according to the National Retail Federation. Katherine Cullen with the organization, describes how many shoppers are prioritizing spending.
“Maybe I won’t be as prone to see a sale and take advantage of it and buy something for myself. But I’m really going to focus on guests for my family, for my friends on decorating my home on food for the holidays,” said Cullen.
Nationally, sales are up from last year at $755 billion despite the coronavirus pandemic according to Cullen. She says online shopping, curbside pick-up and delivery are options people are using more. Traditional Black Friday sales are also underway. Lexi Harris is with the Tanger Outlet in Southaven.
“And that’s actually pretty standard for Black Friday sales to start a little early. I think it’s also a good option especially during this time of year with COVID. It gives shoppers the opportunity to come in a few days early without the major rushes of the busy time,” said Harris.
Harris says retailers are taking precautions to protect staff and customers from COVID 19 by requiring masks, social distancing and sanitizing high touch areas. In Pearl, at the Outlets of Mississippi Marketing Director Shanna Head says customers may see a store close for a day or two.
“If there is even reason to believe that a staff member may be sick or maybe was exposed to someone. They’re shutting down. They’re doing a full store cleaning and reopening in a safe manner,” said Head.
Head says this is a time when retailers make the majority of their money, so it’s important to keep everyone safe this holiday season. According to the National Retail Federation, holiday sales in November and December have averaged about 19 percent of annual retail sales over the last five years, but the figure can be higher for some retailers.
