Retailers are starting the holiday season earlier than ever
Christmas is more than three months away, but at least one Macy's store is getting in the holiday spirit early.
A tipster sent us this photo of a Macy's holiday display Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois.
When he asked a worker about the displays, she said this is when the retailer typically starts decorating for the holiday season.
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The Macy's Christmas trees reflect a broader trend of retailers getting in the holiday spirit early.
Wal-Mart rolled out an early holiday layaway program last week. This allows shoppers to pay for their holiday gifts in installments.
"Toy Week and the kickoff of our layaway program is about being there for those customers, who are starting to think about and plan their holiday shopping. We know not everybody is there yet, but for those who are, we want to make sure they have everything they need," Wal-Mart said in a statement to ABC News.
These trends make it likely that Black Friday sales the day after Thanksgiving could plummet the way they did last year. Retailers typically offer deals for the holiday season on this day.
Despite encouraging forecasts, Black Friday weekend sales were down 11%. Cyber Monday sales rose 8%, falling short of many predictions.
The likely reason?
By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, many shoppers have already been buying gifts for weeks.