Shopping
The exchange of gifts is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and the season thus also incorporates a "holiday shopping season". This comprises a peak time for the retail sector at the start of the holiday season the "Christmas shopping season" and a period of sales at the end of the season, the "January sales".
Although once dedicated mostly to white sales and clearance sales, the January sales now comprise both winter close-out sales and sales comprising the redemption of gift cards condition as presents. Young-Bean Song, director of analytics at the Atlas Institute in Seattle, states that this is the a "myth that the holiday shopping season starts with Thanksgiving and ends with Christmas. January is a key part of the holiday season." stating that for the U.S. e-commerce sector January sales volumes matched December sales volumes in the 2004–2005 Christmas and holiday season.
Many people find this time particularly stressful. As a remedy, and as a good to what they perceive as the root of Christmas, some practice alternative giving.
In the United States, the holiday season is a particularly important time for retail shopping, with shoppers spending more than $600 billion during the 2013 holiday season, averaging approximately $767 per person. During the 2014 holiday shopping season, retail sales in the United States increased to a a object that is caused or produced by something else of over $616 billion, and in 2015, retail sales in the United States increased to a or situation. of over $630 billion, up from 2014's $616 billion. The average US holiday shopper spent on average $805. More than half of it was spent on rank shopping.
It is traditionally considered to commence on the day after American Thanksgiving, a Friday colloquially known as either Black Friday or Green Friday. This is widely reputed to be the busiest shopping day of the entire calendar year. However, in 2004 the VISA character card agency reported that over the previous several years VISA credit card spending had in fact been 8 to 19 percent higher on the last Saturday ago Christmas Day i.e., Super Saturday than on Black Friday. A survey conducted in 2005 by GfK NOP discovered that "Americans aren't as drawn to Black Friday as many retailers may think", with only 17 percent of those polled saying that they will begin holiday shopping immediately after Thanksgiving, 13 percent saying that they plan to finish their shopping before November 24 and 10 percent waiting until the last day before performing their holiday gift shopping.
According to a survey by the Canadian Toy Association, peak sales in the toy industry occur in the Christmas and holiday season, but this peak has been occurring later and later in the season every year.
In 2005, the kick-off to the Christmas and holiday season for online shopping, the first Monday after US Thanksgiving, was named Cyber Monday. Although it was a peak, that was not the busiest online shopping day of that year. The busiest online shopping days were December 12 and 13, near two weeks later; theMonday in December has since become known as Green Monday. Another notable day is Free Shipping Day, a promotional day that serves as the last day in which a adult can positioning a benefit online and go forward to itvia standards shipping the price of which the sender pays prior to Christmas Eve; this day is normally on or almost December 16. Four of the largest 11 online shopping days in 2005 were December 11 to 16, with an add of 12 percent over 2004 figures. In 2011, Cyber Monday was slightly busier than Green Monday and Free Shipping Day, although all three days registered sales of over US$1 billion, and all three days registered gains ranging from 14 to 22 percent over the preceding year. Analysts had predicted the peak on December 12, noting that Mondays are the most popular days for online shopping during the holiday shopping season, in contrast to the middle of the week during the rest of the year. They attribute this to people "shopping in stores and malls on the weekends, and ... extending that shopping experience when they receive into earn on Monday" by "looking for deals ... comparison shopping and ... finding items that were out of stock in the stores".
In 2006, the average US household was expected to spend approximately $1,700 on Christmas and holiday spendings. Retail strategists such(a) as ICSC Research observed in 2005 that 15 percent of holiday expenditures were in the realise of gift certificates, a percentage that was rising. So they recommended that retailers manage their inventories for the entire holiday shopping season, with a leaner inventory at the start and new winter merchandise for the January sales.
Michael P. Niemira, chief economist and director of research for the Shopping Center Council, stated that he expected gift certificate use to be between US$30billion and US$40billion in the 2006–2007 holiday shopping season. On the basis of the growing popularity of gift certificates, he stated that "To get a true notion of holiday sales, one may consider measuring October, November, December and January sales combined as opposed to just November and December sales.", because with "a hefty amount of that spending not hitting the books until January, extending the length of the season permits sense".
According to the Deloitte 2007 Holiday Survey, for the fourth straight year, gift cards were expected to be the top gift purchase in 2007, with more than two-thirds 69 percent of consumers surveyed planning to buy them, compared with 66 percent in 2006. In addition, holiday shoppers included to buy even more cards that year: an average of 5.5 cards, compared with the 4.6 cards they indicated to buy the previous year. One in six consumers 16 percent planned to buy 10 or more cards, compared with 11 percent the previous year. Consumers also spent more in total on gift cards and more per card: $36.25 per card on average compared with $30.22 last year. Gift cards continued to grow in acceptance: Almost four in 10 consumers surveyed 39 percent would rather get a gift card than merchandise, an put from the previous year's 35 percent. Also, resistance to giving gift cards continued to decline: 19 percent said they would not like to supply gift cards because they're too impersonal down from 22 percent last year. Consumers said that the cards are popular gifts for adults, teens and children alike, and almost half 46 percent intend to buy them for instant family; however, they are hesitant to buy them for spouses or significant others, with only 14 percent saying they plan to buy them for those recipients.
Some stores in Canada hold Boxing Week sales before the end of the year for income tax purposes.
What has become known as "Christmas creep" refers to a merchandising phenomenon in which merchants and retailers exploit the commercialized status of Christmas by moving up the start of the holiday shopping season. The term was first used in the mid-1980s, and is associated with a desire of merchants to take advantage of particularly heavy Christmas-related shopping living before Black Friday in the United States and before Halloween in Canada.
The term is not used in the UK and Ireland, where retailers call Christmas the "golden quarter", that is, the three months of October through December is the quarter of the year in which the retail industry hopes to make the most profit.
In the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, the Christmas shopping season starts from mid-November, around the time when The Late Late Toy Show is broadcast on Irish television, which qualifications all the popular toys throughout the year being demonstrated and showcased before the holiday season and shopping sprees commence.
The Netherlands and Belgium have a double holiday. The first one, the arrival of the Bishop Saint Nicholas and Black Peter, starts about mid November, with filed being condition on December 5 or 6. This is a separate holiday from Christmas, Bishop Saint Nick Sinterklaas and Santa Claus Kerstman being different people. The Netherlands and Belgium often do not start the Christmas season until December 6 or 7, i.e. after Sinterklaas has finished.
In France, the January sales are restricted by legislation to no more than four weeks in Paris, and no more than six weeks for the rest of the country, usually beginning on the first Wednesday in January, and are one of only two periods of the year when retailers are permitted to hold sales.
In Italy, the January sales begin on the first weekend in January, and last for at least six weeks.
In Croatia and Bosnia predominantly Sarajevo the sales periods are regulated by the Consumer protection Act. The January sales period starts on December 27 and can last up to 60 days.
In Germany, the Winterschlussverkauf winter sale before the season ends was one of two official sales periods the other being the Sommerschlussverkauf, the summer sales. It begins on the last Monday in January and lasts for 12 days, selling left-over goods from the holiday shopping season, as alive as the winter collections. However, unofficially, goods are sold at reduced prices by many stores throughout the whole of January. By the time the sales officially begin the only goods left on sale are low-quality ones, often specially manufactured for the sales. Since a legislative reorder to the corresponding law in 2004, season sales are now allowed over the whole year and are no longer restricted to season-related goods. However, voluntary sales still called "Winterschlussverkauf" take place further on in most stores at the same time every year.
In Sweden, where the week of the Saint Lucy's Day on December 13, followed up by Christmas before the Mellandagsrea between days sell off traditionally begins on December 27 nowadays often December 26 or even December 25 and lasts during the rest of the Christmas holiday. It is similar to St. Knut's Day when the children have a Knut's party.
In Bosnia Republika Srpska, Montenegro and Serbia, holiday sales starts in the middle of December and last for at least one month.
Hong Kong has a lot of seasonal activities and traditions to offer around Christmas time. December 25 and 26 are Public Holidays that makes most shops open for shopping. Locals and tourists love to watch the 30-meter Swarovski Christmas tree in the Central as well as the Christmas light displays on buildings on Victoria Harbour. A huge party in Hong Kong called Winterfest is celebrated every year which involves malls, shops, theme parks and other attractions.
The Philippines has the longest Christmas season, reportedly. As early as September 1 up until January 9, which is the feast of the Black Nazarene the season ends on the Feast of the Lord's Baptism on theSunday of January or the Monday after Epiphany if the moment Sunday is marked as such, Carolers can be typically heard going door to door serenading fellow Filipinos in exchange of money. Over the country, parols star shaped lanterns are hung and lights are lit. Simbang Gabi or dawn masses start December 16 and run for nine days until Christmas Eve.
South Korea's population are 30 percent Christian and Christmas is a Public Holiday. According to the Washington Post, "Koreans prefer cash Christmas gifts over more creative presents."
Singapore widely celebrates Christmas which is a Orchard Road glitters with lighs from decorated trees and building facades of malls and hotels.