Retailers in Alabama are bracing themselves for what’s expected to be a flat holiday shopping season. The Target store chain operates twenty three outlets in the state. The retailer expects little or no bump in sales due to the holiday season. Nancy Dennis is with the Alabama Retail Association. Her group is expecting over eighteen billion dollars in business this year. Dennis says one good thing for retailers is that people plan for holiday shopping..
“Alabamians really started spending in a little bit more in September before the election," said Dennis. "I have to wait and see what happens about that. But Alabamians and all shoppers really can to do their their holiday shopping, no matter what, no matter who's president, no matter what the economic situation is, they they do that shopping, and they plan for that shopping."
Dennis adds that the popularity of online shopping has spread out when people buy, and dampened the impact of taxable sales on the day after Thanksgiving, better known as Black Friday. That created what Dennis calls "Black November." Alabama also lowered its sales tax groceries, which she says decreased the amount of taxable sales in the state. Another issue for retailers is that Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of the month each year, no matter what the calendar says…
“Also this year, there are five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. And we're recommending that everybody start there, if you're going to order things, if you're going to do that kind of stuff, that you actually start a week earlier because, because you're it's really, it's really, it actually is a full five days less days between Thanksgiving and Christmas," said Dennis.
FDR signed a bill in 1941 making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday of November. Dennis notes there was a slight uptick in sales during September, so her organization will be watching as the final business numbers come in as the holiday shopping season goes on.
