Coronavirus Crisis Pushes Start of Holiday Shopping Earlier
2020-10-12
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1The world has changed in many ways since the coronavirus pandemic struck.
2Now, you can add end-of-the-year holiday shopping to the list of time-honored traditions being affected.
3Many retail businesses are launching the holiday shopping season earlier than ever this year.
4They hope to keep large crowds out of stores and avoid problems when shipping products in November and December.
5American retail stores like Best Buy, Macy's, and Target often offer their biggest deals on "Black Friday."
6That is the day after the American observance of Thanksgiving in late November.
7Now, retailers are planning to start offering deals this month.
8With more people expected to buy products online, retailers are trying to avoid getting a lot of orders in mid-December just before Christmas.
9That could lead to late gift arrivals and higher shipping costs.
10Many stores could not keep up with demand when Americans were locked down in their homes during the early days of the pandemic.
11Online retailer Amazon had to add 175,000 workers to meet demand for products on its website.
12Black Friday has long been the unofficial start to the holiday season in the United States.
13However, retailers have been trying to get Americans to start holiday shopping earlier for the past 10 years or so.
14This year, there seems to be a more reason urgent to start early.
15With the coronavirus still spreading across the country, stores have had to rethink their usual holiday plans.
16Thanksgiving Day specials are canceled.
17There will still be in-store sales the day after Thanksgiving, but companies are expected to direct shoppers to go online to avoid crowds and other problems.
18"We're preparing for a holiday season unlike any we've seen before," said Target's chief Brian Cornell.
19Many people are out of work, and even more people are unsure about their economic futures.
20This probably will not be a great year for holiday shopping.
21Most people will probably buy fewer things because they will not be traveling to family gatherings.
22Shoppers will also be looking at gifts related to activities around the home, such as physical workout gear and gaming systems.
23"Shoppers are going to be very selective in what they buy," said Ken Perkins.
24He is president of Retail Metrics, a retail research company.
25He added that retail stores "are fighting for their lives."
26The first big holiday push will come from Amazon.
27The company has announced that its well-known yearly sale, called Prime Day, will be in October.
28This is the first time Amazon has held Prime Day so near the holidays.
29It is usually held in July, but was postponed this year.
30The move will force other businesses to offer sales around the same time, too.
31Target and Walmart have already said they will hold their own sales during the same time as Amazon's.
32Electronics retailer Best Buy will offer deals in October, earlier than it ever has.
33Even with the early start to the season, no one knows if people will shop or hold onto their money.
34Joel Bines, an expert on retail sales at AlixPartners, thinks the idea of earlier shopping will continue, even when the pandemic finally ends.
35"This is here to stay," Bines said.
36"The new holiday season is October through January."
37There are already signs of early shopping.
38Kohl's said shoppers have started searching for traditional Christmas gifts on its website.
39Retailers are making plans for people who do not want to go to the store at all.
40Expecting to sell more of its jewelry online, the Signet Jewelers changed its Ohio storage center so it can ship five times as many packages as last year.
41The company owns several retail jewelry stores.
42Shipping company DHL is telling retailers to avoid holding big sales in December because delivery could be delayed, said Kraig Foreman.
43He is the company's president of e-commerce in North America.
44Some retail businesses are already reporting shipping delays, such as Balsam Hill.
45It sells high-end Christmas trees online.
46Balsam Hill's chief Mac Harmon is warning shoppers that shipping could take more than the usual three to four days.
47″I don't want to let customers down in a year where we need more joy than ever," he said.
48I'm Susan Shand.
1The world has changed in many ways since the coronavirus pandemic struck. Now, you can add end-of-the-year holiday shopping to the list of time-honored traditions being affected. 2Many retail businesses are launching the holiday shopping season earlier than ever this year. They hope to keep large crowds out of stores and avoid problems when shipping products in November and December. 3American retail stores like Best Buy, Macy's, and Target often offer their biggest deals on "Black Friday." That is the day after the American observance of Thanksgiving in late November. Now, retailers are planning to start offering deals this month. 4With more people expected to buy products online, retailers are trying to avoid getting a lot of orders in mid-December just before Christmas. That could lead to late gift arrivals and higher shipping costs. 5Many stores could not keep up with demand when Americans were locked down in their homes during the early days of the pandemic. Online retailer Amazon had to add 175,000 workers to meet demand for products on its website. 6Black Friday has long been the unofficial start to the holiday season in the United States. However, retailers have been trying to get Americans to start holiday shopping earlier for the past 10 years or so. 7This year, there seems to be a more reason urgent to start early. With the coronavirus still spreading across the country, stores have had to rethink their usual holiday plans. Thanksgiving Day specials are canceled. There will still be in-store sales the day after Thanksgiving, but companies are expected to direct shoppers to go online to avoid crowds and other problems. 8"We're preparing for a holiday season unlike any we've seen before," said Target's chief Brian Cornell. 9Many people are out of work, and even more people are unsure about their economic futures. This probably will not be a great year for holiday shopping. Most people will probably buy fewer things because they will not be traveling to family gatherings. 10Shoppers will also be looking at gifts related to activities around the home, such as physical workout gear and gaming systems. 11"Shoppers are going to be very selective in what they buy," said Ken Perkins. He is president of Retail Metrics, a retail research company. He added that retail stores "are fighting for their lives." 12The first big holiday push will come from Amazon. The company has announced that its well-known yearly sale, called Prime Day, will be in October. This is the first time Amazon has held Prime Day so near the holidays. It is usually held in July, but was postponed this year. 13The move will force other businesses to offer sales around the same time, too. Target and Walmart have already said they will hold their own sales during the same time as Amazon's. Electronics retailer Best Buy will offer deals in October, earlier than it ever has. 14Even with the early start to the season, no one knows if people will shop or hold onto their money. 15Joel Bines, an expert on retail sales at AlixPartners, thinks the idea of earlier shopping will continue, even when the pandemic finally ends. 16"This is here to stay," Bines said. "The new holiday season is October through January." 17There are already signs of early shopping. Kohl's said shoppers have started searching for traditional Christmas gifts on its website. 18Retailers are making plans for people who do not want to go to the store at all. 19Expecting to sell more of its jewelry online, the Signet Jewelers changed its Ohio storage center so it can ship five times as many packages as last year. The company owns several retail jewelry stores. 20Shipping company DHL is telling retailers to avoid holding big sales in December because delivery could be delayed, said Kraig Foreman. He is the company's president of e-commerce in North America. 21Some retail businesses are already reporting shipping delays, such as Balsam Hill. It sells high-end Christmas trees online. Balsam Hill's chief Mac Harmon is warning shoppers that shipping could take more than the usual three to four days. 22″I don't want to let customers down in a year where we need more joy than ever," he said. 23I'm Susan Shand. 24The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 25________________________________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27pandemic - n. a contagious diseases in many countries 28shop - v. to go to stores or online to buy things for pleasure 29retail - n. a store or website that sells things to the public 30locked down - n. closing down society to avoid disease 31selective - adj. preferring or choosing one over another 32package - n. an item that is put in a box to be delivered 33delivery - n. bringing an item or letter to someone's home or office