Survey: Americans Waiting Until After Election To Shop For Holidays

Whether it’s because of anxiety due to the upcoming presidential and congressional elections or a stubborn refusal to even think about winter holidays before Halloween, Americans are reportedly waiting until after the election is over to begin their shopping. No, they’re not waiting until after Thanksgiving: that would be silly.

That’s according to a consumer survey by the National Retail Federation, which puts planned spending per person at $935.58. That includes food, decorations, gifts, and cards for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.

The president and CEO of the NRF, Matthew Shay, notes that advertising spots that would normally be full of retailers preparing consumers to think about consuming are full of candidate ads preparing voters to think about voting.

“Once the election has passed, we anticipate consumers will pull themselves out of the election doldrums and into the holiday spirit,” he reassured retailers in a statement.

By the way, over half (58%) of people polled plan to use the holiday shopping frenzy to buy something for themselves, spending an average of $139.61 per person.