UNITED STATES—It is official America, Christmas is over. Yeah, you might be thinking, why are you so happy about that? Well, Christmas can just be stressful as hell, because there is just so much going on to juggle. You have work, you have family, you have gift buying, you have shopping, you have food, it’s just the time of year that should be joyous and sometimes isn’t as joyous as you want it to be. With that said, the shopping is not over. All that spending you did for others; now shifts the focus to the spending for you.
The retailers are about to see the biggest drop in foot traffic as January 1, 2024 rolls around. People are not spending as much because you have to consider all the money and debt you have incurred over the year. So, the spending will slow quite a bit, while all the kiddos, tweens, teens, young adults and adults who received gift cards and cash for the holiday are starting to spend.
The mall the day after Christmas was an absolute beast. I mean the crowds, the crowds, the crowds. I don’t know if it is an age thing or what, but I’m over the crowds. You have people who don’t walk, people who walk too slow or those who just stand in the walkway without realizing you’re not invisible. Did the stores have sales? It depends on where you go. Some of the big box retailers had deals, I mean when you can get 75 to 80 percent, even 90 percent off some items at some stores that is a huge savings.
I say that quite often with plenty of food products, and Christmas attire, sheets, towels, clothing, the deal are so good sometimes you just cannot resist. I tried, but the deals told my wallet you will be screaming at yourself if you don’t get it. Now on the flipside, I did venture into some stores, and I was telling myself, where is the sale? Yeah, there was no sale, and I think the retailers were thinking people are going to spend no matter what, and I do believe that to a degree.
People had extra money and that money was burning a hole in the pocket; gotta spend when in truth you can just hold onto that money. There is no need to spend if you don’t have to spend America. Could you do all your Xmas shopping for 2024 in 2023? It is very possible, but where are you going to store them, and do you really want to do that? It doesn’t hurt, but the goal has to be simplicity and realize a deal compared to a gimmick.
I did see a few items that made the consumer think they were getting a deal because of the 80 percent off sign, but if you think about it, it wasn’t. Why? It’s the same price for the item when it is a regular sale. The retailers know how to hook you with numbers, so if you’re not careful you will spend money thinking you got a deal, when you just got hoodwinked. So, before you open the wallet and give out the green or swipe that plastic ask yourself these three things: 1) Do I need it 2) Do I want it 3) Will I use it. If you cannot answer YES to all three, you already have the answer.
Written By Zoe Mitchell
