- Two of the largest retail giants in the United States, Walmart and Target will start their Christmas sales from the first days of October
Given the inflationary crisis that the United States is experiencing, two of the country’s most important retailers have announced that the Christmas sales will soon begin. These are Walmart and Target, who seek to give Americans a sigh amid high prices on products and services.
According to what was explained by various experts to The Associated Press, inflation, which is being historic in the country, could push families to start their purchases ahead of time, hoping to prevent prices from rising more for the closing of the year 2022.
According to AlixPartners, a global consultancy, this year Christmas sales are expected to increase between 4% and 7%, well below the 16% growth recorded during 2021.
Just a few days ago, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS, announced that year-on-year inflation for the month of August stood at 8.3%, July’s year-on-year was 8.5% and year-on-year June was 9.1%. Given these numbers, experts see that high prices will have a significant impact on Christmas sales.
For this year, Walmart’s strategy will be based on extending the return window by more than a month. “Gift returns will now be accepted between October 1 and January 31, compared to last year’s return window of November 1 to January 24,” the company said in a press release.
It will also bring new and exclusive Walmart brand products, something that didn’t happen last year, said Tom Ward, the company’s director of e-commerce. “The company is deepening discounts on items like toys, home goods, electronics and beauty. More than half of the toys on Walmart’s list of popular holiday toys are priced under $50, and many are under $25, and nearly every toy is available for purchase now or through pre-order at walmart.com. Walmart assured.
For its part, in the case of Target, the Christmas sales will begin between October 6 and 8, a few days before what happened during 2021. The retail giant promised to match prices at that time, also a couple of days before.
According to The Associated Press, Target has one of the most generous price match offers in retail, offsetting offers from more than two dozen other stores. That also applies to purchases at Target.com.
To prepare for the holiday season, Target will hire up to 100,000 seasonal employees in stores and distribution centers. Walmart announced the hiring of 40,000 workers for the holiday season.