Holiday shopping rebounds
Holiday shopping is on the rebound here, where Main Street businesses are expected to see a 6% boost in sales over last year’s bleak season amid a formidable new wave of the coronavirus.
“There are tremendous opportunities for people to shop local, to eat local, to dine local, to buy local, and to recognize when you shop, eat, dine local, you’re supporting your neighbors, your colleagues, your friends and folks that are part of the communities that you live and work in,” Gov. Charlie Baker said.
While the rebound is significant, the shopping forecast released Monday by the Retailers Association of Massachusetts shows Bay State sales trailing the National Retail Federation’s projections of an 8.5% to 10.5% bump in annual retail sales nationwide.
Retailers Association of Massachusetts President Jon Hurst attributed the discrepancy to “big-box” retailers and online sales not included in the 4,000 mom and pop retailers he surveyed. His organization is teaming up with the Baker administration for the #Buyinma campaign to remind shoppers to spend their money locally. The ad campaign that will feature local stores and restaurants will appear online and on radio.
“We have all these different efforts to remind the consumer over and over and over again that they need to shop like jobs depend on it, because frankly they do,” Hurst said.
Massachusetts retailers are most concerned about inflation, supply chain hold-ups and staffing shortages, Hurst said.
The Republican governor said patronizing local brick-and-mortar stores is a good way to avoid shipping delays spurred by widespread supply-chain disruptions.
“And, it’s a big way to say thank to all of those retailers, restaurant operators and hospitality managers who have really sucked it up and made it (through the pandemic),” Baker said.
For the first time in the nearly 21 months since the pandemic struck, Baker told Bay Staters they “should enjoy their holiday.”
With more than 5 million people now fully vaccinated in Massachusetts, Baker said that with appropriate precautions, “we can have a normal Thanksgiving.”
But the governor’s optimistic outlook comes as coronavirus cases are surging once again. State health officials reported 6,801 new coronavirus cases over the weekend — an increase of 1,553 cases over last weekend’s three-day total and a sharp continuation of the rising trend.
Hospitalizations have climbed 41% over the past 18 days.
Baker suggested families and friends gathering together buy rapid COVID-19 tests and make sure “everybody tests negative” before proceeding with plans.