Shoppers are returning, but issues persist

NEW YORK — Buoyed by solid hiring, healthy pay gains and substantial savings, shoppers are returning to stores and splurging on all types of items.

But the big question is: How much will supply shortages, higher prices and staffing issues dampen their mood this holiday season?

Americans, already fatigued with pandemic-induced social distancing policies, might get grumpy if they can’t check off items on their holiday wish lists, or they may feel disappointed by the skimpy holiday discounts. Exacerbating their foul moods is the fact that many frustrated workers called it quits ahead of the holidays, leaving businesses short-handed during their busiest time of the year.

Shoppers are expected to pay on average 5 percent to 17 percent more for toys, clothing, appliances, television and other purchases on Black Friday this year compared with last year, according to Aurelien Duthoit, senior sector adviser at Allianz Research. TVS will see the highest price spikes on average, up 17 percent from a year ago, according to the research firm. That’s because whatever discounts available will be applied to goods that are already expensive.

Such frustrations could mute sales for the holiday season that are supposed to break records.

The National Retail Federation, the nation’s largest retail trade group, predicts holiday sales will increase 8.5 percent to 10.5 percent compared with the 2020 holiday period, when shoppers, locked down during the early part of the pandemic, spent their money on pajamas and home goods — mostly online. Holiday sales increased 8.2 percent in 2020.

“I think it is going to be a messy holiday season,” said Neil Saunders, managing director at Globaldata Retail. “It will be a bit frustrating for retailers, consumers and the workers.”

Jill Renslow, executive vice president of business development and marketing for Mall of America, the nation’s largest mall, expects customer counts on Black Friday to be close to 2019 levels and said its store tenants are seeing “power shopping” earlier in the season. But she acknowledged the Bloomington, Minnesota, mall’s tenants have struggled with staffing and, as a result, the center will open two hours later and close one hour earlier on Black Friday.