More shoppers getting it done earlier

By Jennifer Wirth
FLORIDA TODAY

Santa's castle is built and the faux snow is in place.

A small boy grabs his mother's hand Tuesday afternoon at Merritt Square Mall and beckons her to look at the toy soldiers and sparkling lights that have suddenly popped up.

Carol Carillion is taking a break from what seems to be an extremely busy shopping day due to the many people off work for Veterans Day.

Seated on a bench sipping a cup of coffee, she has two bags of holiday gift wrap at her side.

They were bought on sale just moments ago to wrap Christmas gifts she said she purchased for her three children and five grandchildren.

"I always buy Christmas presents early because I'm so afraid the things I want to buy will be sold out by December," said Carillion, who lives on Merritt Island.

Among her presents are bikes and "lots of Barbie stuff."

Carillion is among an increasing number of consumers starting their holiday shopping earlier this year.

A study by the National Retail Federation found that 42.8 percent of shoppers began their holiday shopping in October or earlier, up from 39.1 percent last year.

Another 35 percent will begin their shopping this month, with just 22.1 percent waiting until December.

Tracy Mullin, the federation's president and chief executive officer, says Carillion's strategy is right on target.

"The golden rule for consumers is buy it when you see it," Mullin said. "There's no guarantee that the red sweater you're eyeing will continue to be in stock as the holiday season nears."

An indication of early shopping activity also has been seen by Wendy Sloan, marketing director for Merritt Square Mall, who says the sale of mallwide gift certificates -- traditionally an extremely popular holiday gift item -- began to grow in October, with 41 percent more sales over September.

"It's amazing how packed the mall was on Tuesday," Mullin said. "And the kind of questions shoppers were asking leads me to believe many of them were here to buy Christmas presents."

To capture these early shoppers, many retailers, like J.C. Penney, were advertising holiday sales, with discounts of 30 percent to 50 percent, while Zales The Diamond Store was offering $99 jewelry gift sets.

Karen Burk, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart, says she always recommends early shopping for the holidays because "you never know when the stock will run out."

Hot items she believes will sell out fast this year include Hokey Pokey Elmo, Barbie of Swan Lake merchandise and Video Now special video players aimed at children.

"It's always smart to get your shopping done early," Burk said. "It's no fun to see disappointed faces Christmas morning."

One thing for sure is there will be no problems at the Carillion household Christmas morning about gifts Carol Carillion couldn't find at the stores.

"The shopping is done, and all that's left is the wrapping," she said.