Mona Spiker, of De Soto, Mo., laughs as she hauls away her purchases during Black Friday at the West County Center in Des Peres on Friday, Nov. 29, 2019. She was shopping for family and coworkers. Photo by Cristina M. Fletes, cfletes@post-dispatch.com.
The rest of the world is catching up with LaVerne Worley this year.
Worley, 67, is usually done with her holiday shopping by Dec. 1, gifts wrapped and under the tree. This year, she already has presents for her great-grandchildren. Christmas lights were hung on her home in St. Paul, in St. Charles County, over the first week of October. And she's itching to turn them on.
"I try to wait until Thanksgiving," she said. "But that doesn’t happen."
Now, retailers are joining Worley, jump-starting the holidays as they adapt to the coronavirus. Amazon ushered in the shopping season with its Prime Day — typically scheduled for July — on Oct. 13 and 14, the first time it has occurred so close to the holidays. Best Buy, Macy’s and Target, which typically offer their biggest Black Friday deals over Thanksgiving weekend, are starting them this month. And Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, will spread out its traditional one-day deals over three weekends in November.
Shopping months before Christmas, of course, pre-dated the coronavirus — the National Retail Federation said about 40% of consumers began their holiday shopping before Halloween. But due to the pandemic, retailers are stocking holiday merchandise and starting seasonal promotions sooner, to spur people to shop earlier to avoid long lines and shipping delays.
"This year, it’s not just easier — it’s safer," said Jason Long, founder of consulting firm Eye on Retail in St. Louis. He said there will be some pent-up demand among people to get out and shop in stores, and some might have extra money to spend after canceled vacations and less dining out.
Online shopping, which has grown steadily in recent years, is expected to accelerate this shopping season.
And some Thanksgiving Day doorbusters are being canceled — St. Louis Premium Outlets, which typically opens on Thanksgiving, will be closed on the holiday this year, though it will open on Black Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., with the new option of curbside pickup.
The St. Louis-area malls owned by CBL & Associates — West County Center, St. Clair Square, Mid Rivers Mall and South County Center — are lengthening how long their doors will be open through the holiday season to help space out shoppers, including an extra eight hours over the Black Friday weekend plus 40 extra hours through Dec. 26.
Some local stores already have started offering Black Friday deals, with more expected to get under way in the next couple weeks, said Sean Phillips, a CBL spokesman.
"The retailers have done a lot of work on their end to spread out the shopping," he said.
West County Center on Nov. 6 will launch a mall carside pickup program, marking off four areas in the parking lot where drivers can call a store to pick up purchases made online. That expands on such options already offered by Macy's, Nordstrom and Dick's Sporting Goods. Phillips said the mall anticipates it will be especially popular with last-minute shoppers who can't wait for gifts to be shipped.
Even Santa visits have to adapt: They're happening, but kids must sit six feet away on a bench instead of on the bearded man's lap.
It will be a crucial period for retailers reeling after being closed amid stay-at-home orders and with many garnering less foot traffic — holiday sales in November and December have averaged about 19% of annual retail sales over the last five years and more for some stores, according to the retail federation.
The trade group has not released this year's holiday forecast, opting to wait until it has "more solid data to make more reliable projections, likely in November." It did, however, predict that online shopping is expected to exceed the 20% of holiday sales that it accounted for last year.
"People are more open to new rituals because everything has changed anyway," said Peter Klayman, director of business strategy for the Dallas-based consulting firm Bottle Rocket.
He said the companies that will benefit this holiday shopping season are those selling through multiple channels, such as on their own websites, through Amazon and in brick-and-mortar stores. And those relying on the business model of customers coming into a store for individualized attention will suffer.
"That model doesn't work well when people don’t want that human contact and want to minimize time in the store," Klayman said.
And for many, an eagerness for the holidays is translating to celebrating earlier at home.
Ryan Jenkins, sales and operations director for the holiday-lights installation company St. Louis Christmas Decor, said his business is seeing an uptick in people wanting lights put up earlier. It usually hires around 15 installers each season and that number could double this year, he said.
"We’re all ready to celebrate and pull any bit of joy we can from the places that hold true to us," Jenkins said.
Worley, his customer in St. Paul, agrees. She said her neighbors gave her a thumbs-up sign when they saw the big wreath and garland adorning her house, even as she waits until next month to turn them on at night.
And — despite her husband's eye rolls — she has started listening to Christmas music.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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