Start Christmas shopping now for the best deals, experts advise

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

For the past decade, holiday shopping has been creeping back week by week -- in stores and online.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- If you take a look around Union Square, you won't find many holiday decorations. I couldn't find any, with the exception of Gump's special holiday store -- which won't be open for businesses for a few days. Shoppers aren't jamming the shopping area and we didn't meet anyone who told us they were shopping for the holidays.

I asked Chad Morris from Indianapolis if he was holiday shopping. Morris said, "No, not Christmas shopping. Actually, I'm from Indiana and I did not pack appropriately for the weather out here."

But just because I can't find anyone shopping for the holidays doesn't mean it isn't happening. For the past decade, holiday shopping has been creeping back week by week -- in stores and online.

Michael Scheschuk is with Jungle Scout, a company which helps online merchants like the third-party sellers on Amazon and elsewhere. He says the new Amazon Big Deal Days are pushing sales earlier in the season. "There will be huge deals the second week in October. When Amazon comes out and says that they are going to have a big deal day. They will mean it," Scheschuk said. "They will have some amazing deals on a lot of the things that people want for the holidays."

And because Amazon is so big, other retailers will also join in on the earlier sale. So if you want a deal this year, you may have to buy earlier than in years past.

"You think about Amazon devices," Scheschuk said, "You think about instant pots. You think about Dyson vacuums. You know all of the things that wind up being big ticket items for the holidays. I would fully expect those to be on sale in October."

Jungle Scout says 47% of holiday shoppers are looking for deals. Sellers know that and will offer them up. So, consider shopping early so you can get in on some of the pre-holiday holiday sales.

Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.

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