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Local Stores Add Shine to Holiday Shopping Amidst Pandemic

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By Zhihui Zou

December 7, 2021
8:38 pm
Los Angeles, CA

The discovery of Omicron Variants in the last week has plundered the stock market. However, it has done little to dampen Americans’ holiday spirit this year. Around the country, the shopping streets and downtowns are decorated as early as mid-November in preparation of the year-end holiday season. The busiest holiday season also brings back another rise in local retail sales. While searching for gifts for friends and loved ones, small, local businesses down the street have been gold mines in the search for unique and artistic small presents. Christmas is usually when stores see an increase in their sales. After almost two years of lockdown measures, Americans are ready for a normal holiday. During the mid-pandemic Christmas in 2020, sales rose by 8.2%, reports Statista. Some people fear that

Christmas is usually when stores see an increase in their sales. After almost two years of lockdown measures, Americans are ready for a normal holiday. During the mid-pandemic Christmas in 2020, sales rose by 8.2%, reports Statista. Some people fear that online shopping through large e-commerce companies would drive local stores out of business, but the tradition of sauntering through the shelves of stores downtown amid the cold weather is not going away anytime soon.

“Little stores, going in and going out. No crowds,” one shopper with a preference for small local stores said to KGTV in San Diego, California.

Local newspapers throughout the country publish guides for local stores. These guides provide detailed descriptions for small businesses that help to build a friendly atmosphere in their communities during the cold holiday season. Even larger newspapers, such as the New York Times and NBC, publish articles on tips to support local businesses during the holidays.

“I’m just hopeful that it will all come in in time and as I need it,” said Dana Gagnon, the owner of the home decor shop Hart and Honey, to KGTV.

Local stores throughout the country have been attempting to fill their stocks as quickly as possible. With the tradition of increasing sales during holidays threatened by a delayed supply chain, many small businesses are hoarding their storerooms.

“The big thing is you really have to order in advance. I’ve got 14 weeks of projects. I need to get most of that material in house as fast as possible and keep buying it until I have a stockpile basically,” a local, family-owned store owner told the New York Times.

Although not all local stores have the fortune of filling their storerooms in time, many, both small business owners and analysts, still hold an optimistic view toward the holiday season.

“Everyone is out, you know, and shopping and just exploring and I feel very optimistic,” said Gagnon.

The pandemic did not scare away the shoppers. Instead, shoppers have devised their own methods to maintain their gift-giving or decoration-preparing traditions from the pre-pandemic world. According to many local reports, shoppers during Black Friday crowded local markets and stores. Long lines were formed outside of stores and “it was difficult to tell there was still a pandemic going on,” according to a Delaware Online report on the scene at a local market. For those concerned about the nation-wide supply chain delay that is happening simultaneously, many shoppers have learned to plan their purchases early.

According to Adobe Analytics, from as early as late October, consumers have seen around 2 billion out-of-stock messages on online retail websites.

Rod Sides, a vice chairman at Deloitte, an international audit and consulting company, expressed “brick and mortar may be more attractive for consumers later in the season. Shoppers can leave with goods in hand, versus waiting on promised dates from shippers,” according to CNN.