Monica Reed

1/2 of us have started gift shopping early & may spend less this year

Photo: shutterstock

1/2 of us have started gift shopping early & may spend less this year

There’s been a lot of talk about supply chain issues, slower shipping, and higher prices heading into the holiday season…this should be enough to get through to last-minute shoppers!  Get on it!

A new survey says 37% of people have started shopping early due to news reports. And 15% started buying gifts over the summer. I do that every year, I’ll find good stuff on throughout the year and throw it in my cart.  I have a special section in my closet for early Christmas gifts!

Overall, more than half of people began holiday shopping before Halloween.

29% say they plan to spend LESS this year than last year, while 53% expect to spend the same, and 18% will spend MORE. For the record, last year was reportedly a record low for holiday spending due to the pandemic.

If you’re wondering what most people spend, in this survey 51% plan to spend less than $500 over the holidays this year. 32% expect to spend between $500 and $1,000 . . . and 18% will drop more than that.

And most people plan to shop online. 68% of people say the majority of their shopping will be done online, while 32% say they plan to spend more time in stores.

 

Recent Headlines

2 days ago in Entertainment

The game’s afoot as armchair detectives mark Sherlock Holmes Day

From 221B Baker Street in central London to a cliffside waterfall in the Swiss Alps, generations of armchair detectives are celebrating International Sherlock Holmes Day on Friday.

2 days ago in Entertainment, Trending

Paul McCartney helps Stephen Colbert say goodbye to ‘The Late Show’ in ambitious final show

Stephen Colbert chatted with Paul McCartney and joined him on stage for a raucous performance of "Hello, Goodbye" on the final broadcast of CBS' "The Late Show" on Thursday night, a bittersweet farewell for a canceled show that still had a few barbs left for the network that ended its 33-year run.

2 days ago in Sports, Trending

2-time NASCAR champ Kyle Busch dies at 41 after being hospitalized with a ‘severe illness’

Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion who won more races than anyone across NASCAR's three national series, has died. He was 41. The Busch Family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR issued a joint statement Thursday saying Busch died after being hospitalized. No cause of death was given.

3 days ago in Entertainment

Rami Malek explores art, love and death in Ira Sachs’ Cannes entry ‘The Man I Love’

In Ira Sachs' 1980s-set drama "The Man I Love," Rami Malek finds the most well-tailored role since his Oscar-winning portrayal of Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody."

3 days ago in Entertainment

As ‘The Boys’ ends, actors reveal their craziest stunts and what’s next for Vought

After five seasons of death, depravity and digs at the capitalistic superhero-industrial complex, "The Boys" dropped its series finale Wednesday.