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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Despite ongoing concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues and inflation, the 2021 holiday shopping season is shaping up to be one for the record books.
With less than a week before Christmas Day on Dec. 25, West Virginia Retailers Association President Bridget Lambert told MetroNews that sales are up across the country compared to recent years.
Lambert said the National Retail Federation (NRF) expects the 2021 holiday sale season, which traditionally begins the day after Thanksgiving, could grow as much as 11.5% over 2020 in West Virginia.
“Retailers in West Virginia have seen robust sales from Black Friday to this past Saturday, which they have called Super Saturday because it was one week exactly before Christmas day,” Lambert said.
Lambert said this past Saturday, Dec. 18, did not disappoint with sales and having the nickname ‘Super Saturday,’ being one exact week before Christmas.
“We saw a record number of shoppers out this past weekend. My members are reporting good traffic in stores and online with holiday shoppers,” Lambert said.
Lambert said as large of a shopping day as Saturday was, she anticipates Dec. 23 to be even bigger. She predicted this Thursday to be the busiest shopping day of the season
“Because you have your last-minute gift purchasers, that collides with the people who are out purchasing groceries for meal preparations for a holiday meal. YOu also have holiday entertainment that you provide when you have guests and family visiting,” Lambert said.
MetroNews previously reported that Black Friday sales were up, about 104.9 million shoppers visited stores in 2021 compared to 92.3 million in 2020.
Lambert said all the positive numbers from this year show customers are anxious about getting out again. The holiday shopping season runs through the end of the year.
“They are weary of being housebound, they want to see their families, they want to travel a little bit. All of that is weighing in on how they are responding. It’s a unique shopping season in 2021,” Lambert said.